Eleven Walkers
by CrazyPandaHobbit
Summary: When Grace and Riley, who know nothing of Middle-Earth, are transported there, they join the Fellowship to try and go back. Will they manage to go back to normal life, or will be they be stuck in Middle-Earth forever? Rated T for violence. No OC X Anyone. Follows the Movie Script, but might have elements of the book in it. Possibly MSish.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! I don't know if any of you read my previous attempt at this story, which I took down to correct and change. Even if you didn't, this is a fresh attempt. Review, Follow, Favourite, all that fun stuff! Peace out!**

_Thud. _ The arrow shoots from my bow and I score a nine. A respectable shot considering the fact that I suck at archery. I suck really bad... I hear a _twang _as my best friend Riley released her shot and it hit the middle of the target. She sees my shot, looks at me, looks at my target, looks at me again, looks at her target, and looks at me yet again and grins. I shrug, saying "I could beat you with knives, swords or spears any day."

"Keep dreaming," she laughs. I mock scowl, knowing that she's only playing. She's better at archery and horse riding, and aces me in our English and French lessons at school.

Our parents wanted us to be able to defend ourselves using 'older weapons' as they put it. Meaning no guns, tanks, etc... Its pretty fun, but I see no point besides the fact that it keeps us in shape.

"Do you wanna come over, Grace?" she asks suddenly, "I got Avengers Assemble on DVD, and you could come over for a Marvel Marathon!" She sounds excited, Marvel is her favourite fandom and Captain America is her favourite character. I prefer Iron Man, but nod anyway. "Let me just phone my parents."

An hour and a half later, my training weapons and horse, Shadow, are at home. Shadow is in the stables along with the other horses that we own for our riding school. Riley's horse Snowdrop lives at our stables, along with her weapons. I cycle round to hers, enjoying the smooth feeling of tyres on concrete, after a day of horse hooves beating on dry dirt. Don't get me wrong, I love horse riding, but after a while it hurts your butt. I decide to bring my dog, who runs along with me, obedient enough to do so without a lead. She's a red setter, only a year old, and is as much a sister to me as Riley is.

When I get there, Riley is waiting outside saying goodbye to her parents- they're going away for two months to Spain along with my parents. Kind of a break since our dads own this company that sells almost everything, everywhere in the world. They managed to set up a branch in Singapore, and are celebrating with two months in Spain. TWO MONTHS! TWO MONTHS THAT WE MISS! I'm really annoyed, and argued but they refused to bring us. SOOOO I spend two months alone with the horses and Autumn.

"I see you brought Autumn," Riley grins, as soon as her parents leave to drive to my house to pick up my parents. "Yep! I didn't plan on leaving her alone all night,"

"Well, she can join Neptune," Riley beckons to me and I follow, Autumn trotting at my heel. Neptune is Riley's disobedient whippet, and she and Autumn get along really well.

We walk into her basement, a cheery room with cream coloured walls and a polished wood floor. Against the wall are two single beds with deep blue duvets and pillows, and on the wall opposite is a huge TV in which the menu for Captain America is loaded up and ready to go. I dump my bag on my allocated bed for the next few days (the horses have enough food), change into my makeshift pyjamas (grey leggings with a medium length sleeve top and bed socks), jump onto the bed and lift Autumn up by the time Riley is changed and is coaxing Neptune onto the bed (she doesn't like heights much). She eventually succeeds and we spend the next three hours half watching Captain America, a quarter playing with the dogs and a quarter having a popcorn fight.

**Riley POV**

I notice the disk has finished and get up, feeling my knee click. I hobble over to the DVD player, having lost all feeling in my feet from kneeling on the bed with Neptune. "Do you fancy Iron Man or Thor next? Or should we go straight onto the Avengers?" I ask, flicking through my collection of Marvel and reading out the first three.

"Erm, go straight onto the Avengers," Grace decides, so I pull open the case, take out the disk and start up the player, before grabbing the remote. I sit on the bed, resting against the pillows and press the play button.

Nothing happens.

"Well. That was... err... anticlimactic," Grace comments. I frown slightly. It should work. We both get up and walk over to the player. It is silent, and it should be making some sort of noise. Grace leans forward and puts her ear to it. The is a loud _zap _ and she pulls back faster than I would have thought possible of lazy Grace.

**Grace POV**

I lean forward and press the side of my face against the top of the DVD player, listening for a whirring noise of the disk spinning. There is nothing except a loud electrical zap which shocks my ear and neck, throwing my head backwards and off of the player.

"Oh my gosh, are you ok Grace?" Riley's face is filled with concern.  
"I'm fine," I say, my voice quiet. I massage my throat and try again "I think I'm losing my voice, but I'm fine," The end comes out as a whisper, but it gets the message across and she nods, looking slightly relieved.

Then, a brilliant white flash envelopes us and the dogs and the last thing I see and hear is a blonde woman, standing tall in a white dress saying "Welcome to Middle Earth, Grace Smith,"

Then, I black out where I lay.


	2. Chapter 2

**So, Chapter 2! I was bored, and decided to upload this on the same day as Chapter 1. As usual, Review, Follow, Favourite, that fun stuff. I am open to any criticism, even flamers, just don't be too mean. This is only for fun, I don't make any money from this.**

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Lord of the Rings. *sniffs dramatically* I only own Grace and Riley.**_

* * *

"Grace, wake up! GRACE!" I am shaken roughly awake.  
"Lemme sleep!" I try to say, but realise I am not making any sounds. I stand up shakily, looking around us. We are in a dense forest; the dogs are lying quietly next to us."Where do you suppose we are?" Riley asks nervously, "we were in the basement last I remember, then there was the flash and I saw a woman in white who said something about Middle Earth."

I shrug and brush off my rumpled top and leggings, scattering the dead leaves onto the floor. Suddenly, I hear running water. Pointing to the source of the noise, I run off, leaving Riley and the dogs behind. After about a minute of slow jogging, I come across a waterfall. It's beautiful and I sit over the edge and watch for what seems like hours when I finally hear footsteps. I turn to grin at Riley but instead I see a tall man dressed in robes of red and purple, with long brown hair tied back in a small plait behind his head. He has a long sword, which is pointed at my neck. My smile drops and I gulp.

"What are you doing in the forests of Imladris? Speak quickly!" He demands. I open my mouse and mime talking, and then shake my head, trying to show that I can't talk. "You refuse to speak?!" The man seems furious and raises the sword even higher against my neck. I can feel the cold point press against my throat. Panic bubbles up inside my stomach and I shake my head urgently. I point to my throat and try to speak, barely managing above a whisper.  
"I'm losing my voice. I don't know how I got here and my friend and two dogs are about a minute's walk away," I get out before my vocal chords give up and go on holiday.

The man frowns, but says "Lead me to your companions. If they are there, I will consider your story to be true," I nod, and set off back away from the waterfall and into the forest.

As I promised the man, Riley, Autumn and Neptune are all in the clearing where I left them.

"Grace! Where did you go? Who's that?" Riley leaps to her feet and runs over, alerting the dogs. I turn to the man, wearing an 'I told you so' look.

"You will follow me to Imladris. All of you. Use vines for leashes, I do not want your dogs running rampant around my city," the man turns and pulls four strong vines from a tree and hands them to us, then stands and watches while we convince the dogs to wear them. I tie a slipknot in the collars (Riley is pitifully incapable) and slide it over Autumn's head, gently tightening it until it won't come loose, but it doesn't hurt. Then, I loop the lead around it and wrap it round my wrist and palm.

"Follow me," The man walks off, leaving us two short people to follow, jogging to keep up with his strides. "What do you think is gonna happen?" Riley whispers to me as we walk behind the tall guy.

I shrug, honestly having no idea as to what's gonna happen to us or the dogs. "I reckon we'll have to live wherever we're going because we can't exactly go home," Riley nods in a very intelligent manner, then turns to the man. "Are we nearly here?"

"We are a short distance away," the man says shortly, "when we arrive in Imladris, do not let your dogs go, nor speak to anyone. We are wary of strangers, especially in these dark times."

We both nod, silent because of the fact that we aren't allowed to speak. Well, Riley isn't allowed to speak. I _can't _speak. Doesn't really leave me with much of a choice. Suddenly, Riley is shocked into complete silence by Imladris, as the man called it. "Whoa..." she mutters as we pass huge wrought iron gates, vines interwoven into the bars. Carvings of trees and pointy eared people run along the cream coloured stone that frames the gate. "Open the gates!" the man yells, "_asca!" _(hurry!)

"Erm, I don't think asska is a word, dude," Riley comments. I stand on her foot, all the while smiling at the guy who's glaring at us and listening to Riley's yelps and muttered death threats.

"Follow me," he sets off again.  
"Oi! Wait a mo. We've just been following you through a forest without even knowing your name, where we are exactly, where we are vaguely, where we even are in the world!" Riley seems to have had enough.

"I will answer to your questions in order. My name is Lord Elrond, you are specifically at the Gate of Imladris, in the forests of Imladris, and I am extremely surprised that you do not know you are in Middle Earth!" Elrond seems, as he said, quite stunned because of this.

"So, we aren't even in England anymore?"

"Where is this England that you speak of?

"DAMMIT! JUST OUR LUCK! YOU GET SHOT BY A STUPID DVD PLAYER! LOSE YOUR VOICE! WE GET KIDNAPPED AND TAKEN TO THIS CENTRE EARTH PLACE TALKING TO SOME RANDOM STRANGER WE ONLY JUST MET, WHO COULD BE LEADING US TO OUR DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!" Riley proceeds to have a mental breakdown. I look at Lord Elrond who is slightly confused and shrug, before heaving Riley onto her feet. She has wild looking eyes and messed up hair.

"I will lead you to Arwen, my daughter, and she will lend you clothes. I have an idea as to what to do with you. You will come to the council in two day's time. Meanwhile, you can explore Imladris together," Elrond somehow manages to calm Riley down enough to get us to Arwen.

"Arwen! Can you aid these two girls?" Elrond calls out to a passing dark haired woman. Arwen nods and grabs our hands, pulling us towards a building full of long corridors and lots of doors, obviously leading into people's rooms. She takes us through a maze of corridors and comes to a stop outside a door, reading 'Guest Room'.

"This is your bedroom for as long as you are here. I hope you don't mind sharing with each other?" Arwen asks worriedly. I shake my head and she smiles, "I will bring you some clothes, for now there are some in the wardrobe,"

"Thanks Arwen," Riley says, speaking for both of us, "Before you go, can you tell us where the armoury is? You know, training grounds?" Arwen nods and points us in the right direction, before unlocking our bedroom door and letting us in.

"You may bathe in the bathroom behind that door, the bunk beds are here and your wardrobe holds clothes that should fit you. There is a writing desk over there. If you need anything, come and find me,"

As soon as she leaves, I turn to the writing desk and sit down, pulling a piece of paper towards me. I write a message to Riley saying "I wonder if anyone here could help me get my voice back?"

"Probably, though we'd have to tell them how you lost it in the first place..." Riley looks thoughtfully out the window.

I stand up and open the wardrobe, pulling out a pair of brown leggings and a light blue top. In the bottom of the wardrobe are some socks and a pair of boots each, made of soft leather. Quickly, I change in the bathroom, finding what looks like a hairbrush and hair bands and combing through my tangled red-purple hair (mum nearly killed me when I started dyeing it). I part my hair into halves and braid it into two fishtail plaits to keep it out the way.

The dogs have made themselves comfy on our beds, so I leave them there. They aren't causing any trouble.

When I re-enter the bedroom, Riley is changed and struggling to plait her chocolate-brown hair into a simple braid, so I brush it again and braid it, my fingers deftly pulling the strands back.

"Done?" she asks. I nod and walk to the door, when she looks confused, I motion pulling a bow back.  
"Oh," This non-speaking thing is annoying. We follow the directions Arwen gave us and still end up hopelessly lost. "Now what?" Riley asks, annoyed. I shrug, leaning against the wall, when suddenly "What are you two doing here?" Elrond's back!

"We asked Arwen for directions to the training grounds, but ended up lost," Riley explains.

"I see. You are about as far away from the training grounds as you can get. You must have done the opposite of the instructions. Anyway I need you two to meet an old friend of mine, the wizard Gandalf the Grey," From behind Elrond strides a tall, grey-clad figure, wearing robes and a tall pointed hat and carrying a staff.

"Hi, Gandalf! I'm Riley! That's Grace. She would introduce herself, but she's lost her voice," Riley, once again, does the talking for me. At a look from Gandalf, I nod and turn to Riley, motioning for her to say why. "She was zapped with electricity," she explains. Gandalf frowns slightly, and turns to me.

"If electricity made you lose your voice, surely it would bring it back? This might hurt a little,"

I put my hands up, telling him I'm not ready, then putting one finger up, getting him to wait a mo while I brace myself. At a thumbs up from me, Gandalf puts one finger against my neck, mutters something in a language I don't understand and I feel a sudden jolt in my neck.

"OWWWW! Hey, look at that! I can talk again! Whoa, thanks, Gandalf!" I grin and hug the old wizard.

"You are welcome, young child. Now, you wanted directions to the training grounds?" Gandalf and Elrond give us directions and we run off. "I was enjoying the peace and quiet," Riley slyly smiles at me as we run down the corridors.

"Shut it, Riley," I warn her, mock scowling. Another minute or so, and we reach the grounds, a large field with targets set up at the end, and a barrier marked off where the sword fighting takes place. A small shed-like building stands at the end opposite to the targets, where we are.

"First one to the shed wins! GO!" I shriek, and we run off, laughing. We end up drawing, breathless. The shed door is open, so we go inside and pull out a couple of weapons. I choose a light, curved sword, a bow and quiver full of arrows, three spears, a dagger and a staff. Riley pulls out the same as me, and we walk back down the field. "Swords first?" Riley asks. I nod, and draw my sword, taking up a defensive stance.

She mimics me, and I lunge, the clash of metal ringing out with each blow we deal. Eventually, I manage to loop my blade into the handle of her sword and knock it away, exhausted.

"Nice. Staffs next?" I sheathe the sword and pick up the long twisted stick of wood. The thud of wood echoes in the field and we lunge and parry for what seems like forever until a huge smack made by Riley forces us both to drop them.

"As much as we complain about our weapons lessons, they really are fun aren't they?" Riley pants. I nod, breathing heavily, and pick up a spear, weighing it in my hands, before turning and throwing it as hard as I can towards the target. In the dying light of the sun, I can see a clear bulls eye.

"Your turn," I grin at Riley who frowns, before picking up a spear, slightly shorter than mine, and chucking it. She lands a respectable eight, before running and pulling both out. "Let's just take them to our room, we can practice again tomorrow," I say, before picking up my stuff and walking, in friendly silence.

Upon entering the room, we see a note on Riley's bed. It reads:

"Riley and Grace,  
The Council which was to be in two days has been brought forwards to tomorrow morning. I expect you to be in the Council courtyard by eleven 'o' clock. To get there, turn left out of your door, follow the corridors and turn right as soon as you can.  
Lord Elrond"

"We'd best sleep then, so that we aren't late," I say, lying the weapons down on the floor under my bed and pulling off the boots, before flopping down on the bed. I'm asleep before my head hits the pillow.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! I'm back quite soon, cos I had this chapter ready, along with Chapter 4, which I'm also posting today. I realise that I'm probably not giving you guys enough time to review and stuff, so after today, I'm leaving three days in between posting.**

**Thanks to **** 3**** (I hope I spelled that right) for Favouriting me and the story!**

**Enjoy! Peace out!**

* * *

"Get up! You're gonna be late!" Riley's loud voice wakes me up from my amazing dream about chocolate swimming pools and candyfloss poodles (a classic dream for me) with her worries about being late.

"What time is it, Riley?"

"Nine 'o' clock..." Riley looks incredibly stupid.

"What time does the Council start, Riley?"

"Eleven 'o' clock..."

"That means there is two hours to go, doesn't it, Riley?" I smile in that way you smile to little kids. The smile that tells someone you're gonna kill them as soon as you and them are alone together.

"Touché..." Riley sighs.

"Well, I'm up now, so we should probably get dressed. I call the bathroom," I shotgun the most private place in our room to get dressed, grab a clean pair of leggings and a tunic and run to the bathroom, washing quickly and changing. Just as I finish running a brush through my bed hair, I hear Riley.

"Grace? Can you...err...come here a mo?" She sounds worried, so I run through the door to find her under the bed, stuck. "I lost my boots under the bed. Now I can't get out. Can you help?"

The sight of her, helplessly stuck under the bed has me in stitches. I collapse on the floor rolling round in fits of laughter until she starts getting annoyed. "Really mature, Grace, now help me out," she snaps. I snort, and swallow my laughter, grabbing her ankle and heaving her out from under the bed. She looks flustered, and just lies down on the floor and stays there. To add insult to injury, both Autumn and Neptune find out that now is a good time to give lots of sloppy kisses to her.

"GET OFF ME YOU STUPID DOGS!" she yelps and jumps up onto the bed, away from the excitable dogs who look extremely pleased with themselves. I watch, slipping on my socks and boots.

"Riley, calm down. They just want to show you that they love you. Anyway, do you want me to brush your hair for you?"

"Whatever," she mutters, mock scowling. I grin and spin her around, grabbing a brush and band and pulling it into a tight ponytail, before doing the same with my hair.

"Well, we're ready. Let's start making our way, seeing as we'll probably get lost..." I say, grabbing the note from last night, getting the dogs to stay and walking out the door.  
"Are you sure you won't bring a dagger or anything? You might need it," Riley comments. Seeing sense in this idea, I strap on a belt and dagger, cover it with my slightly-too-big tunic and walk out again. It's ten 'o' clock, so we have plenty of time. We turn left, as instructed and walk down as far as the corridor leads before coming across a right-turn.

"Wow. That is an impressive courtyard!" Riley gasps, turning in several circles to see it all. We're the first ones there, considering its only a quarter past ten. "Where should we sit?" Riley suddenly brings up a very important point that I hadn't considered.

"Erm, good question. The answer to that question is... I don't know," I answer. She rolls her eyes.

"Helpful, Grace. Really helpful,"

"Well I don't know, do I? I'm not Einstein or Stephen Hawking!" I reply sarcastically, "how about we just explore around here? There's a load of gardens that are near," I glance around, suddenly seeing movement from behind the chairs. "Stay here, and stay quiet," I whisper. Creeping quietly to the chairs, I look over the edge of the courtyard to a plant pot, behind which hides a very short, blonde haired man with large hairy feet.

"Who are you?" I ask, confused. I thought we were the only ones here, but... guess not.

"Samwise Gamgee, miss, I wasn't eavesdropping, I meant no harm!" Sam says in a panicky voice.

"Calm down, I'm assuming you weren't invited and are therefore hiding and most definitely eavesdropping," I grin at Sam, who looks more terrified by the minute, "and, no offence meant Sam, but why are you so short?"

"I'm a Hobbit, miss. Me and my three kinsmen, Frodo, Merry and Pippin came here from the Shire. We Hobbits are naturally short. Please don't tell anyone that we're here!"

"I won't," I assure Sam, "wait- we?"

"Merry and Pippin are hiding behind some plants over there, behind the big seat," I look over where he's pointing and, sure enough, two more Hobbits hide.

"Shut up, Sam!" I hear one whisper urgently. Laughing, Riley wanders over and makes them jump.

"I won't tell on any of you guys, but I suggest you keep quiet, I hear people coming,"

The Hobbits hide and we walk and position ourselves to make it look like we've just got here.

"Ahh, Grace, Riley, you made it perfectly fine I assume?" Elrond comes up to us, smiling. We nod in unison.

"Where do we sit?" I ask, and he gestures to some seats over in the corner, where we found Sam. As we walk over, I catch his nervous eye and grin, positioning myself so that I shield him from view.  
"Thank you, miss. I am sorry, I don't know your names," Sam whispers. I wait for Elrond to turn away, then look at him and whisper our names.

"I'm Grace and that's Riley."

He nods and smiles, and we turn back, by this point, more people are arriving. Lots of tall people with pointy ears. A couple of slightly shorter people without pointy ears, who I assume are just ordinary, bog standard men. Some short people with beards and axes who definitely aren't Hobbits (A-because Sam only said there were four, including himself, and B-these new people were very slightly taller than Sam looked).

After everyone has sat down, Gandalf the wizard walks into the courtyard, leading a Hobbit with black curly hair.  
"That must be Frodo," Riley whispers to me. I nod, and turn my attention to Elrond, who has started speaking.

"Strangers of distant lands, friends of old. You have been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor. Middle Earth stands upon the brink of destruction. None can escape it-you will unite or you will fall. Each race is bound to this fate-this one doom," Elrond gestures to a pedestal in the centre of the courtyard, "bring forth the Ring, Frodo."

The poor Hobbit looks terrified, but stands up anyway and places a single, gold ring on the top of the pedestal. When he sits down again, it looks like a weight has been lifted from his shoulders.

Some ginger dude leans on his hand "So it is true..." he mutters, then continues, "in a dream, I saw the Eastern sky grow dark. In the West, a pale light lingered. A voice was crying ' your doom is near at hand. Isildur's bane is found.' Isildur's bane..."

"Boromir!" Elrond shouts sharply, trying to stop him taking the Ring as he reaches out his hand. Gandalf is quicker, though, and starts muttering in a strange language that almost instantly gives me a headache, migraine like headache, whilst Riley is fine and just looks confused.

"_Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatulûk agh burzum-ishi krimpatul,_" he mutters, and as soon as he's finished, my headache disappears. I notice some of the pointy eared dudes, including Elrond, looked like they had headaches too (One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them)

"Never before has anyone uttered words of that tongue here in Imladris," Elrond says angrily.

"I do not ask for your pardon Master Elrond for the Black Speech of Mordor may be heard in yet every corner of the West. The Ring is altogether evil," Gandalf says wearily, but sternly to the Council.

"No, it is a gift. A gift to the foes of Mordor! Why not use this Ring?"Boromir is back-he stands up and starts pacing, "Long has my father, the Steward of Gondor, kept the forces of Mordor at bay. By the blood of our people are your lands kept safe! Give Gondor the weapon of the enemy. Let us use it against him!"

"He doesn't seem to realise that everyone thinks that's a bad idea. A really bad idea. We aren't even in on this Ring business and I can tell that's a BAD idea," I whisper to Riley, who nods fervently.

"You cannot wield it! None of us can! The Ring answers to Sauron alone. It has no other master." The guy sitting next to me, who I hadn't noticed before, stands up and argues with Boromir.

"And what would a ranger know of this matter?" Boromir questions ranger dude, rather rudely I think.

Some odd really tall blonde haired pointy eared dude stands up suddenly and addresses Boromir "This is no mere ranger. He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance."

"Aragorn? This is Isildur's heir?" Ginger looks confused.

"And heir to the throne of Gondor," Pointy Blonde Dude answers.

"_Havo dad Legolas_," Aragorn says, in a pleading manner (Sit down Legolas).Pointy Blonde Dude, who I am assuming is Legolas, sits down.

"Gondor has no king. Gondor needs no king," Boromir sits down.

"Touchy subject, I see," Riley mutters in my ear. I grin at her, and then turn to Gandalf who is speaking.

"Aragorn is right. We cannot use it,"

"You have only one choice. The Ring must be destroyed," Elrond says, surveying the Council members.

A short guy with an axe and red hair and beard stands up, saying in a gruff voice "What are we waiting for?"

With a sudden swing, he strikes the Ring as hard as he can with his axe, but, for some odd reason, he is thrown backwards into the other short people with axes. His axe shatters on impact. My migraine headache returns, for a split second, as the axe and Ring make contact. When it's gone, I look at the Ring. It is unscathed, no scratches or anything.

"The Ring cannot be destroyed, Gimli son of Gloin, by any craft that we here possess. The Ring was made in the fires of Mount Doom. Only there can it be unmade. It must be taken deep into Mordor and cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came," Elrond explains, "One of you... must do this."

"One does not simply walk into Mordor. Its black gates are guarded by more than just orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep and the great eye is ever watchful. It is a barren wasteland, riddled with fire and ash and dust. The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with ten thousand men could you do this. It is folly," Boromir mutters.

Legolas jumps to his feet "have you heard nothing Lord Elrond has said? The Ring must be destroyed!"

"And I suppose you think you're the one to do it!" Gimli also stands.

"And if we fail what then? What happens when Sauron takes back what is his?" Boromir shouts, getting increasingly frustrated.

"NEVER TRUST AN ELF!" Gimli yells, sparking a large a huge argument about who's manly enough to take the Ring. Gandalf suddenly stands up to join. So the tall pointy ears are elves...

"Do you not understand that while we bicker amongst ourselves, Sauron's power grows? None can escape it! You'll all be destroyed!"

While the argument goes on, I turn to Aragorn. "What in the world is wrong with this Ring? Riley and I are clueless, here," I ask him. He looks at us as though we're mental, but explains anyway.

"Sauron gave three rings of power to the elves, seven to the dwarves and nine to the men, but in secret, forged this Ring. One Ring to rule them all. He poured all his evil into the Ring, and only if it's destroyed, can Sauron be destroyed. However, if he gets the Ring back, Middle-Earth will be covered in a second darkness,"

"Ahh, that explains it. Thanks," I say, smiling at him. I get a small smile in return, before I turn back to the argument. So, the short axe carrying dudes are dwarves... Suddenly, I see Frodo stand. I catch his eye, know what he's going to do and nod encouragingly. He gives me a faint smile and says "I will take it!"

The argument goes on, no one heard him. Riley and I look at each other, grin and stand.

"SHUT IT!" We yell in unison, before sitting back down, mimicking each other's actions exactly (we had a LOT of free time). Frodo grins, before turning back to the group. "I will take the Ring to Mordor, though I do not know the way,"

Gandalf closes his eyes for a second, before walking to Frodo. "I will help you bear this burden, Frodo Baggins, as long as it is your burden to bear." He walks and stands behind Frodo.

"If by my life or death I can protect you, I will," Aragorn says, kneeling in front of Frodo, "You have my sword."

"And you have my bow," Legolas smiles and walks over to the group of three.

"And my axe!" Gimli says, not wanting to be outdone by Legolas, who grimaces slightly as the dwarf walks over.

"You carry the fate of us all, little one," Boromir hesitates, before joining the group, "if this is indeed the will of the Council, then Gondor will see it done."

Just as Elrond is about to speak, Sam exposes himself and runs out with a shout "Mr Frodo's not going anywhere without me!"

"No indeed it is hardly possible to separate you, even when he is summoned to a secret council and you are not!" Elrond says, looking as though he is trying to hide a slight smile.

"Wait! We're coming too!" Merry and Pippin come running out from their hiding places. Elrond looks completely astounded.

"You'd have to send us home tied up in a sack to stop us!" Merry says, and by the look on his face, I know that he isn't lying.

"Anyway, you need people of intelligence on this sort of mission...quest...thing!" Pippin confirms.

"Well, that rules you out Pip," Merry mutters. Pippin nods, then looks at Merry, finally realising it is an insult.

"Nine companions..." Elrond says, but then Gandalf interrupts.

"Master Elrond, if I might make a suggestion? I would like Riley and Grace to join us on this quest."

There is a stunned silence, which I break with the most intellectual speech in the history of intellectual speeches. "What?"

"I would like you two to come on this quest. I saw you in your small training session yesterday, and believe you fully capable of joining us," Gandalf repeats himself and waits for our answer.

"You were spying on us!" Riley starts to say, but I interrupt.

"Err, if Frodo wants us to come, then... sure! Why not?" I say, grinning at Riley's shocked face. I drag her over to the group, where we stand behind Frodo.

"Eleven companions... So be it! You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring!" Elrond completes his sentence.

"Great! Where are we going?" Pippin asks. A quick eye roll from the entire Council tells him that he should really have been listening.


	4. Chapter 4

**As promised, Chapter 4 is here, on the same day as Chapter 3! So, Review, Favourite, Follow, all that fun stuff!**

**I realise I've forgotten to do this for the past couple of chapters, so here:**

_Disclaimer: I only own Grace and Riley. I don't own LotR__ *sniffs*_

**Enjoy! Peace out!**

* * *

We end up staying in Rivendell -or Imladris as all the elves call it- for two months before leaving to Mount Doom. Awesome name, that. Mount Doom... gives you a real sense of joy for the adventure. During these two months, our training is watched and improved, I can now hit a target in the centre most of the time, thanks to Legolas. My first Archery assessment went a bit like this.

_"And you stand like this, and draw back the bow, aim, and fire!" Legolas demonstrates how to position yourself so that you wouldn't break your wrist firing the arrow._

_"Like this?" I try firing, hitting the tree above the target for the twentieth time. I can see Legolas holding back a sigh, which I can completely understand._

_"No, like this." He walks over and grabs my wrist, pushing my arms into an aiming position. Satisfied with my arms, he uses his foot to nudge my feet into a comfortable standing position._

_"And you aim like this," he demonstrates the way you sit your head. I try, but it's uncomfortable._

_"Is there a more comfy way of doing this?" I ask, dismayed when he shakes his head._

_"You will get used to it, unless you find your own accurate way of aiming, which, by the look of things, isn't going to happen,"_

_I scowl at him and try an idea that just popped into my head. I hold the bow, notching an arrow and drawing it back. Leaving my head in an upright position, I aim for where I want it to go, by staring down to the tip of the arrow, and where the point is, I raise it a bit more, compensating for distance between me and the target. I release the arrow. With a thud, it soars straight into the target, a bit lower than the middle, but better than the last twenty shots._

_"Err, Legolas, what were you saying?" I grin at the shocked elf._

_"Still, you didn't hit the centre, and that much distance could mean the difference between injuring and killing an enemy. Lift your bow a bit higher this time, and see how that goes," he tells me._

_"Killjoy..." I mutter, but take his advice anyway. He probably has years of practice behind his name, whereas I have about six months. I repeat the aiming process, but lift it up even higher than I would have done. __**Thud.**__ Straight into the centre._

_"You know what, Legolas? I really love you!" I say, grinning to the elf, who smiles, a bit confused. I rin to the target and collect the arrows that are littered around the target._

_"Before you go, Legolas, could you teach me that weird language you speak?"_

_"Elvish?"_

_"Yeah! Could you teach me it?"_

_"If you wish,"_

_"Awesome! Thanks!" I smile again at the elf, who grins back._

_"We'll start tomorrow,"_

**TIME SKIP (There might be a lot of these, mostly in the days where there's a lot of walking)**

Tomorrow was the day we leave and everyone in the Fellowship was rushing round, making sure everything was packed and ready. Well, everyone except Riley and me. We were lazing on the beds, enjoying our last day of freedom. We didn't actually know that we left tomorrow, we'd lost track of time. Practicing weaponry all day, every day does that to you. Even though it hurt like hell, both of us were now evenly matched in weapons. I could shoot as accurately as Riley, and she could last just about as long as me in a swordfight. We could, most likely, survive in Middle Earth!

"What are you two doing?! Get packing for tomorrow!" Aragorn's voice makes me jump.

"AAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIII!" I scream, leaping out of the bed, "WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!" I yell at him, "I HAVE AN EXTREMELY LOW TOLERANCE TO THAT SORT OF THING!

"I am sorry, Lady Grace-"

"Stop with the Lady rubbish. For both of us," I interrupt.

"Very well. Anyway, we leave for Mordor tomorrow, and I see that neither of you are packed? You had best hurry up and get ready, as there is a feast tonight," Aragorn reminds us of the Quest. I sigh and nod, grabbing a pack and turning to the wardrobe.

"Hurry up," Aragorn walks off. I sigh again and open the wardrobe, making a loud commentary as I pack.

"Spare tunic, spare leggings, oh not those colour-that's horrible! Two pairs of spare socks, a couple of spare cloaks," I turn to Riley and throw a pack at her. "Get up!"

"Fine! Fine!"

"Spare food... where's the kitchen?" I stick my head out the door, just as a poor, random elf walks past. "OI! Where's the kitchen?" he jumps about five feet into the air, but points to a corridor and a large archway. "Thanks!"

Turning back to Riley, I say "I'm going to raid the kitchen; I'll be back in about five minutes," When she nods, I turn and walk out the door.

Now for foods, I think, entering the kitchen which is surprisingly empty. Just as well. I find some odd waybread stuff labelled Lembas, and take quite a lot. About ten loaves of this Lembas stuff should do. Along with this, I get some apples and a bag of what looks like boiled sweets. Before leaving the kitchen, I remember Riley's food, and get more Lembas and apples.

"Here, I got you some odd bread stuff that's called Lembas, and a bag of apples," I throw said food items at Riley who packs them and shoves her pack under the bed.

"Don't forget to pack your weapons like you do after EVERY training session," Riley reminds me as a way of saying thanks. I shrug and empty my pack, checking it again. "Spare clothes including tunic, leggings, socks, cloaks. I need some gloves. Right... got gloves. Two pairs of gloves. Erm... food. Right... Got food. Spare throwing knives, got them. Spare dagger. What don't I need in my pack? Sword, got that, bow and quiver with a huge amount of arrows. Dagger that goes on my belt. Set of throwing knives... Anything else?" I ask, reeling off my mental checklist.

"No, I don't think so. You worry too much Grace," Riley smiles.

"We could die on this quest, Riley. You're too relaxed," I retort, grinning. She's right. I have a habit of panicking too much. Suddenly-

"Are you packed now?"

"AIIIIIIII! DAMMIT ARAGORN!" I scream at the offending ranger.

"Again, I am sorry. Are you packed?"

"Yep. I have a spare tunic, leggings, socks, cloaks, knives, dagger and food. Everything else that doesn't go in there is on the floor down there," I tell Aragorn. He nods and tells us to get up early tomorrow, so get a good amount of sleep.

"I suggest getting ready for the feast now since it is in an hour,"

"OK," I mutter and turn to the wardrobe. Inside is a silvery blue tunic that is quite floaty and has little swirly patterns on it (**Use your imagination, readers :D**) and a pair of leggings that are a chestnut colour. Pulling on my boots, I nudge Riley off the bed. She hits the floor with a loud thump.

"_Dolle naa lost_," I laugh at her.

"What does that mean?" Riley looks confused.

"_ naa lost _means 'Your head is empty' and _pe-channas _means 'idiot'. I asked Legolas for lessons in Elvish. We've been going for the past two months,"

"Oh, ok then," Riley grins at me, "I wouldn't be able to learn a third language if I was you. What's that- French, Spanish and Elvish, and you can still talk in English as well! I quit after learning French!"

**TIME SKIP**

The Feast's fun. There's a lot of food there, but the Hobbits manage to eat loads. Once there, I see the Lembas I found earlier. Taking a bite out of it, I feel instantly full. "Legolas? What's this stuff?"

"Ahh, Lembas! One small bite fills the stomach of even a full grown man!" Legolas responds.

"Oh. That's why I'm not hungry," I laugh, and walk over to the Hobbits, who are somehow eating piles upon piles of food. "How do you even eat that much?!" I ask, bewildered.

"Well, we're Hobbits. Hobbits love food. Food and smoking," Pippin responds through a mouthful of apple. I nod slowly, still confused.

"Tell me about where you live, Hobbits. The Shire, I think it's called?" I ask. They respond eagerly, telling me tales of the Shire in all its glory, green rolling hills, little Hobbit holes, and all the food. The latter is told in great detail, and I'm feeling full just listening to it. We're joined by Riley, who falls asleep on Frodo's shoulder. She didn't even do much!

"If I could have your attention? I propose a toast, to the health of the Fellowship! And to victory!" Elrond says, looking around the hall to meet eyes with every single member of the Fellowship. I shake Riley awake in time for her to join the toast, before she goes back to sleep. I grin at Frodo, who shuffles slightly to make himself more comfy.

"I'll wake her up Frodo, don't worry. You can have your shoulder back," I smile at the Hobbit and wake Riley up again

"Go 'way, Grace."

"Time for bed Riley. Get up!" I pull her up onto her feet and pull her out of the hall, thanking Elrond as I pass him. He smiles slightly, moving out the way for me to drag Riley.

Back in our room, we get unchanged and slip on night clothes, then get into bed and fall asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! Hobbit here! Here is Chapter 5! **

**LucariaAura: Thanks for your review! You wanted to find out what would happen once they started walking, so here it is! Also, thanks for following and favouriting!**

**Enjoy! Peace out!**

* * *

"The Ring bearer is setting out on the quest of Mount Doom. On you who travel with him, no oath nor bond is laid to go further than you will. Farewell. Hold to your purpose and may the blessings of Elves, and Men, and all free folk go with you," Elrond says slowly, looking at every member of the Fellowship as we stand by the gates of Rivendell.

"What does that mean?" Riley asks, in a whisper. I sigh and wonder why I chose this ditzy idiot to be my friend.

"It means that everyone who doesn't like Sauron blesses us, and that we don't have to go with the Fellowship if we don't want to," I whisper back.

"Oh,"

"The Fellowship awaits the Ring-Bearer," Gandalf indicates to Frodo, who takes a deep breath and starts walking. We get to a crossroads just outside the gates, and I hear Frodo ask Gandalf in a panicky voice "Mordor, Gandalf. Is it left or right?"

"...Left," Gandalf hesitates before answering. My stomach flutters nervously as I glance back at Rivendell, which has been my home for the past two and a half months. Added to the fact that we could die on this quest, Gandalf hesitated before answering Frodo which way it was! We're screwed!

"Calm down, Grace," Riley laughs at me. I nod and smile back, determined to live.

We had been walking for about a week when Aragorn turned to us and said "I want you to practice your sword fighting every night. You cannot afford to become weak and useless,"

"Wha-Ok then. How long for?"

"A match each night should be enough. I daresay you'll probably get enough practice eventually," Aragorn says dryly, dropping hints at a huge fight that might be ahead.

**TIME SKIP**

We reach some flat rocks about midday, two weeks after leaving Rivendell. Boromir takes the time to teach Merry and Pippin how to sword fight. Quite a valuable skill that they probably should have learned in Rivendell. Oh well. At lease they'll learn, increasing their chances of survival. "Good, good," Boromir praises Pippin.

"Move your feet," Aragorn advises through his pipe. I smile, sitting next to our resident Ranger of the North.

"You look good Pippin!" Merry grins, jumping up to join the practice.

"Thanks!"

Over my shoulder I hear Gimli and Gandalf arguing.

" If anyone was to ask for my opinion, which I note that they're not, I'd say that we were taking the long way round. Gandalf, we could pass through the Mines of Moria. My cousin Balin would give us a royal welcome!" Gimli comments, slightly heatedly at the fact that Gandalf doesn't want to go near the Mines, what was wrong with them, I didn't actually know, but I'm assuming that Gandalf had his reasons.

"No Gimli, I would not take the road through Moria unless I had no other choice," Gandalf responds looking worried.

I turn my attention back to the training in front of me. Just as Boromir lunges, Pippin freaks out and slips. Boromir slices his palm and jumps up and down "ARGH!"

"Sorry! Sorry!" Boromir makes to look at Pippin's hand, but the Hobbit kicks his knee.

"Get him!" Pippin shouts, lunging at Boromir and tackling him. Merry joins in, leaping on the poor man.

"For the Shire! Hold him, Hold him down Merry!" Pippin yells, wrestling and fighting to win.

"Gentlemen, thats enough!" Aragorn stands up and grabs the Hobbits, but they wriggle free and pull his legs out from underneath him. I wince as the ranger lands heavily on his back.

"You've got my arm! He's got my arm!" Pippin laughs. Eventually, Aragorn and I pull the Hobbits off of Boromir, and I offer him a hand, which he takes, and pull him up.

"What is that?" Sam asks suddenly. I turn to see where he's looking, and see a large black cloud.

"Nothing, it's just a wisp of cloud," Gimli's grumpy voice makes us all jump.

"It's moving fast... against the wind," Boromir pants, weary from the little Hobbit-induced scuffle.

"Yep, probably not good then," I say, glancing at Aragorn to see if he knows what it is.

"CREBAIN FROM DUNLAND!" Legolas yells, making Riley jump.

"HIDE!" Aragorn shouts. I grab my pack from where I was sitting, throw some water on the fire and shoot under a rock. I am followed by Sam, who looks terrified, and Pippin, also terrified. Smiling slightly at them, I turn my attention to the rest of the Fellowship, the last of who have just disappeared from sight. Then, a dark shadow covers the rocky area that we were camping in. The squawks and cries of the creatures are deafening. I assume they're birds, but since this Middle Earth all seems to be real, it could well be another thing.

The din eventually dies down, but we wait until the cloud is out of sight of us, and vice versa, before leaving our hiding spots. I turn to Gandalf, who is the self-appointed leader; he looks at the direction we were heading in (I lost my sense of direction ages ago).

"Spies of Saruman," Gandalf says slowly, "the passage South is being watched. We must take the pass of Caradhras."

"Two questions- who's Saurman, and where's Caradhras?" I ask Aragorn, who answers, confused as to why I don't know.

"Saruman is a wizard who turned evil and is allied with Sauron. Caradhras is the mountain,"

**(AN: Misspelling Saruman was completely intentional.)**

"Right... So it's going to be cold then?" At Aragorn's nod, I pull my second tunic on over the one I already have on and motion for Jodie to do the same, before pulling on my cloak, which I had taken off earlier. We begin walking towards the mountains. I shiver in anticipation. I don't do cold; I don't do heights, so I'm screwed either way.

We are about half way up the mountain, when Riley gets bored. I can only tell this, because I felt a thump on my back, and turned around to get a face full of snow. "You are going to DIE RILEY!" I scream at her, choking on a mouthful of snow. I gather Merry and Pippin, and have them arm themselves, before we launch an offensive on the enemy. Our combination of two midgets and a slightly taller midget overwhelm her, and she joins our team against the Fellowship.

Well. They don't know that yet. All they know is that me, Riley and the two Hobbits are acting like idiots.

"Right, we leave Sam and Frodo alone, along with Bill the pony. Merry get Boromir, Pippin go for Gimli, Riley get Aragorn, and I'll target Legolas," I whisper to my eager team mates. They grin and nod.

"On the count of three... 1... 2... 3!" We all launch our snowballs, every single one finding its mark. The entire company stops. Very slowly, everyone that we hit turns to face us, covered in snow. I snigger, making it very badly look like a cough.

I look up to see the four targets with an evil grin on every face. They turn back around and start walking again. Very nervously, my team continue.  
"They're gonna get us back. Everyone watch each other's backs."

Riley turns to me "We should walk up front near Gandalf, that way we don't look scared, and if they miss us they have a cold wet wizard to answer to."

I nod and we stroll up front. "Hi Gandalf! How are you not cold?" I ask cheerfully, despite the fact that after our fight, I'm shivering slightly.

"He's a wizard, Grace. Magic and all that fun stuff. He's probably just keeping himself dr-"

At that moment, Riley's legs are pulled out from underneath her. The Hobbits soon follow. I notice the elf has disappeared, and suddenly I am flat on my back in the snow. Legolas leans over me, grinning at my shocked face. "Revenge truly is sweet," he says, smiling. I take his offer of a hand and pull myself up. Just as Frodo slips back down the mountain.

"Frodo!" Aragorn stops the poor Hobbit from going any further. He picks him up and brushes him off. Frodo notices the Ring has come off, and starts panicking.

I look around and see a glint of gold. Before I can reach for it, however, Boromir picks it up.

"Boromir! ," Aragorn calls to the man warningly.

"It is a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing... so little a thing..."

"Boromir! Give the Ring to Frodo!" Aragorn calls again, louder this time. I notice he has his hand gripped very tightly over his sword.

Boromir come out of his trance like state "As you wish!" he laughs, handing the Ring back to Frodo, who snatches it and holds it close. "I care not," Boromir mutters, ruffling Frodo's hair, glancing at Aragorn and walking up the mountain again. Aragorn releases his grip on his sword.

"Would you have done it?" I ask him as we start walking again.

"I do not know, it did not come to that necessity," he replies uncertainly. I smile slightly at him as he shuffles behind Frodo slightly. Ready to catch him. Typical Aragorn.

We get to a flat part of the mountain, just as a heavy snowstorm picks up. I huddle next to Riley and the Hobbits, pulling out my spare cloaks and draping one over Merry and Pippin, one over Frodo and Sam. Riley takes her spare cloaks, knots them together and shields Bill the pony with them.

The further we go along the path, the worse the snow storm gets. I can no longer feel my feet, hands or nose. I can feel my ears, but only just. I'm also pretty sure my lips are blue; my cheeks are probably an interesting shade of red. Oh well. We'll just have to hope for some fire at some near point in the future.

We make it about a third of the way down the flat Pass, when Legolas runs forwards, a worried look on his face. "There is a fell voice on the air!" he calls, turning his head to catch Gandalf's eye. Gandalf obviously hears it, because he suddenly turns around. "It's Saruman!" he roars, trying to stay heard above the whirling storm.

Just as the words leave his mouth, a lightning bolt cracks against the peak of the mountain, sending great big boulders down and narrowly missing us. "If that never happens again, it's gonna be too soon!" I call. I don't think I get heard. Either that, or they ignored me. It wouldn't surprise me. Oh well, we have more pressing matters at hand.

"He's trying to bring down the mountain! Gandalf, we must turn back!" Aragorn shouts.

"NO!" the stubborn wizard starts chanting. "_ Losto Caradhras, sedho hodo, nuitho i'ruith _(Sleep Caradhras, be still, lie still, hold your wrath!)

It doesn't work very well. I hear someone else chanting, I guess that's Saruman. Great. We have an extraordinarily loud evil wizard working against us. Could this get any worse?

**AN: CLIFFHANGER! I'm so mean. Although, to make up for it, I might post Chapter 6 tomorrow instead of two days away... So, reviews please! I've only had one review so far, but thanks to the people who have followed and favourited! Peace out!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi! I'm sorry! I'm a little bit later than expected, I was busy with school and homework. At least I didn't make you wait any longer for this. **

**To save time, I'm going to do a collective thank you to anyone who reviews, follows and favourites this story. So... Thanks!**

**Enjoy! Peace out!**

* * *

I jinxed it.

The moment I finish the thought, another huge lightning bolt strikes the mountain, sending an avalanche of snow down onto us.

I struggle in my pure white tomb. I'm fast running out of oxygen, and panicking. I don't handle stress very well... Bad time to discover that. I'm just about to give up, and seeing black spots dancing over my eyes, I strike in the direction that I think is up. My hand breaks through the snowy barrier, and I fight to widen it. Eventually, I make it big enough to force my head through, before two hands grab under my arms and haul me out. I look up at Boromir, who nods at me before lifting Pippin out. He's lost my spare cloak, but it doesn't really matter. It wouldn't be much use anyway.

"We must get off the mountain! Make for the Gap of Rohan, and take the west road to my city!" Boromir yells over to Gandalf.

"The Gap of Rohan takes us too close to Isengard!" Aragorn loudly inputs, determined to argue against going near Isengard.

"If we cannot pass over the mountain, let us go under it. Let us go through the Mines of Moria," Gimli once again tries to persuade Gandalf.

After a minute of silence from the wizard, Riley decides to have her say. "Whatever you guys are planning on doing, do you think you could get on with it faster? I can no longer feel my arms!"

"Let the Ring-Bearer decide," Gandalf turns to Frodo, who now looks terrified.

"Thats not very nice, Gandalf! Making poor Frodo decide!" I scold the wizard, ineffectively.

"We cannot stay here! This will be the death of the Hobbits!" Boromir calls, shielding the Hobbits as much as he can. I walk over, trembling, and huddle close to Merry, leaving Pippin with Boromir. Riley does the same with Sam, and Frodo shivers next to Aragorn.

"Frodo?" Gandalf prompts.

"We shall go through the Mines," Frodo's tired response follows.

"...So be it," Gandalf sighs, resignedly. And so begins our slow trudge back down the freezing mountain. As soon as Frodo makes the call to go through the mines, the snow storm abates. Typical.

* * *

We are walking along a dreary dark path; supposedly it leads to the mines. I see Frodo walk up to Gandalf. They have a little chat as we stumble along. Weariness is establishing itself in everyone except Legolas, Aragorn and Gandalf. Everyone wants to rest and eat, especially the Hobbits. Thankfully for us, we get that chance.

"Ah! The walls of Moria!" Gandalf exclaims. We all rush over to the cliff face. Gimli taps on the sheer black rocks with his axe, boasting "Dwarf doors are invisible when closed!"

"Yes, Gimli. Even their own masters cannot find them if their secrets are forgotten," Gandalf reminds the dwarf.

"Why does that not surprise me?" Legolas mutters sarcastically. I snort as the dwarf turns away scowling.

Frodo slips and his foot plunges into the still lake next to us. The disturbance sends ripples out across the inky surface, leaving a great feeling of foreboding behind.

"Ahh, now let me see... Ithildin..." Gandalf talks to himself, brushing away at the rocks. "It mirrors only starlight and moonlight..."

Is it just me that finds it extremely convenient that at that moment, the clouds choose to part and reveal the moon. Oh well, convenient or not, that door is pretty. By dwarf standards anyway. The runes all around the outer edge glow a bright silver, illuminating the patterns on the doors.

"It reads 'The Doors of Durin, Lord of Moria. Speak Friend and Enter," Gandalf translates the runes, pointing at them with his staff.

"What do you suppose that means?" Merry asks.

"Oh, it's quite simple! If you are a friend, you speak the password and the doors will open!" Gandalf the over-confident wizard boasts. He places his staff against a small silver star in the door and chants magnificently "_Annon Edhellen, edro hi amen!"_ (Gate of the Elves, open now for me!"

"That did a lot," I comment. Gandalf shoots me his annoyed grumpy face and tries again.

"_Fennas Nogothrim, lasto beth lammen!_" (Doorway of the Dwarf-folk, listen to the word of my tongue!"

There is a moment of silence. Nothing moves. Including the doors.

"Nothing's happening," Pippin whispers to Legolas.

"I once knew every spell in all the tongues of Elves... Men... and Orcs," Gandalf mutters, pushing against the doors.

"What are you going to do, then?" Pippin asks, finally snapping Gandalf's patience.

"Knock your head against these door, Peregrin Took!" the Hobbit in question flinches visibly, "And if that does not shatter them, and I'm allowed a little peace from foolish question, I will try to find the opening words!"

And with that, we end up sitting around for hours while Gandalf tries to find the password. I wander over to Aragorn and Sam, who are removing all the stuff from Bill the pony.

"Mines are no place for a pony, even one so brave as Bill," Aragorn says gently.

"Buh bye Bill," Sam whispers glumly.

"He'll be fine, Sam. He can keep the blanket Riley made him, to keep him warm. It won't do him any harm," I say quietly to the Hobbit, who smiles slightly in thanks.

"Go on, go on," Aragorn pushes the pony, "Don't worry Sam. He knows the way home." The Ranger says. Sam watches the pony trot away, probably praying that he doesn't get killed.

A loud splash makes me and Sam jump. Aragorn walks over to Merry and Pippin who are throwing rocks of a considerable size into the lake. "Do not disturb the water," he warns the two short idiots quietly.

"Oh, it's useless," Gandalf throws down his staff and sits down next to Frodo.

"It's a riddle!" The Ring-Bearer walks up to the door. "Speak friend... and enter. What's the Elvish word for friend?"

"_Mellon_," Gandalf and I respond at the same time. The Fellowship all jump up. None of us notice the ominous ripples from the centre of the lake.

"Soon, Master Elf, you will enjoy fabled hospitality of the dwarves. Roaring fires, malt beer, red meat off the bone!" Gimli crows, delighted to be back in his zone. I notice an odd smell around the place, but I guess it comes with mines. You know, musty underground stuff...

"This, my friend, is the home of my cousin Balin. And they call it a mine. A mine!" Gimli roars with laughter.

"This is no mine... it's a tomb!" Boromir says suddenly.

"NOOO! NOOOOOOOOooooooo!" Gimli wails, running over to a corpse, which I have just noticed are littering the floor. I heave, finally putting two and two together. Corpses + underground for a long time = really bad smell.

Legolas pulls an arrow out of a dead dwarf. "Goblins!"

"We make for the Gap of Rohan. We should never have come here... Now get out of here... GET OUT!" Boromir yells, ushering the Hobbits out of the mines. I don't need telling twice and shoot out of the stone doorways. Just as the tentacles come and attack us. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Frodo stumble. He is dragged backwards.

"FRODO!" Merry and Pippin shriek, leaping on the Hobbit and pulling him back. The tentacle is insistent on playing with our resident Ring-Bearer though.

"Strider!" Sam calls, slashing at the tentacle, "Get off him!"

"Aragorn!" Merry yells, trying to get the ranger's attention. Suddenly, the tentacle withdraws, but almost instantly after, a huge army of the things burst out of the water. They grab Frodo and lift him high in the air above the water. I draw my sword and charge, slightly excited to get some use out of it, properly at least, not just in training. Mostly, I'm disgusted at the snake-like things. I take a running jump and catch onto a tentacle. It swings me wildly around, giving me a chance to slice off the others.

"Strider!" Frodo yells for help, just as a huge head appears, with gaping jaws, huge teeth and a foul stench. My breath catches in my throat and I cough. It realises I'm actually not doing it any favour and, with a huge flick, throws me into the mines. I bounce along the floor and skid, causing a friction burn on my elbows. Winded, I just about see the creature pull down the doors, before the all eleven of us are plunged into darkness.

**So... enjoy it? Think I can improve on anything? Tell me, because I won't know otherwise! BYE! :D**


	7. Chapter 7

**HEY! Next chapter is ready finally! Let me know if you like it, let me know if you don't like it. I won't know if you don't tell me!**

**SOOO, thanks to everyone who reviewed, favourited, followed. It means a lot!**

**Enjoy! Peace out!**

* * *

Gandalf lights his staff, illuminating our surroundings. I notice, by the dim light, that my hand is only a single inch away from a dead dwarf. I let out a strangled gasp/moan and jump up, shooting away from it as fast as I can. Riley snickers from behind me, but I ignore her, instead choosing to listen to Gandalf. "We now have but one choice. We must face the long dark or Moria. Be on your guard, there are older and fouler things than Orcs in the deep places of the world." The old wizard starts walking, muttering quietly to us as he passes "Quietly now, it's a four day journey to the other side. Let us hope that our presence may go unnoticed."

We walk for AGGGGGEEEEEEESSSSSSS! It's really boring... and terrifying when, just as we're halfway over a bridge that stretches across a bottomless pit, Riley finds it hilariously funny to tell me not to look down, which she knows I will then do. Aragorn then has to drag me across the bridge because I just stop. I refuse to move. She then repeats the process when we walk across another. At one point during the second day, I think about lunch time, we come across a cave ravine type thing. Gandalf holds his staff up to these weird silvery lines on the cave wall, illuminating silvery lines. "The wealth of Moria was not in gold, or jewels, but Mithril," he mutters. He shines his staff into the ravine, lighting up the abandoned mines below. "Bilbo had a shirt of Mithril rings that Thorin gave him."

"Aye, that was a kingly gift!" Gimli comments in awe.

"Yes. I never told, but its worth was greater than the value of the Shire!" Gandalf smiles, before turning back to the path. Frodo looks slightly shocked.

We walk for another few hours, across wide bridges, through caves... yep. Repeated scenery. Until we come across a load of stairs. Really big stairs. Stairs that the Hobbits can barely climb. Pippin proves this as he slips numerous times. Even I'm struggling, and I'm good at climbing, which is unfortunate because I hate heights. I end up grabbing the Hobbit's hand and climbing with him, making sure he reaches the top.

We reach a cave/junction with three doors. And there, we stop. I don't know why until Gandalf says "I have no memory of this place..." Those dreaded words. That's a fancy way of saying 'Hey guys, we're completely and hopelessly lost, but it's fine! I'll just pretend I have a memory failure because I'M OLD!'

And so we sit down for hours while Gandalf ponders which door it is. Smoking. "Hey, Gandalf? You do know smoking's bad for your lungs?" Riley walks up to the wizard and starts bugging him. She's bored. I'm bored. I stand up, walk up to her and grab her wrist. Smiling at the wizard, I forcefully drag her back to the wall.

"Are we lost?" Pippin asks Merry and me in a whisper.

"No," Merry replies.

"I think we are," Pippin says, completely seriously.

"SHHH! Gandalf's thinking," Sam inputs.

"Merry?"

"What, Pippin?"

"I'm hungry!"

I lose all dignity I never had in the first place and snort with laughter, rolling around on the floor. The Hobbits grin at me. When I finally calm down, I see Frodo chatting with Gandalf. He looks quite depressed, poor thing. When he stops chatting, Gandalf suddenly looks up. "Oh! It's that way!"

"He's remembered!" Merry jumps up, beaming.

"No, but the air doesn't smell so foul down here! If in doubt, Meriadoc, always follow your nose,"

That isn't very good advice. You could plant really sweet flowers around a cemetery. Then Gandalf would really be screwed wouldn't he.

We follow Gandalf down the middle passage into a large cavern with great pillars holding up the ceiling. I get the feeling that if you were to take those away, the entire place would collapse in on itself. Not really an encouraging thought.

"Let me risk a little more light," Gandalf mutters, holding up his staff, "Behold, the great realm and city of Dwarrowdelf..."

The huge cavern is revealed to us. The ornate columns stretch as far as we can see, but I'm pretty sure there's more here.

"Now there's an eye opener and no mistake," Sam says, breathless from awe. I nod in agreement. Riley smiles. We walk for a little bit, but then Gimli runs off towards a room that's in front of us. "Oh!"

"Gimli!" Gandalf calls. I run after him, leaving the rest of the Fellowship to catch up.

Gimli is lying on a white tomb, bowing his head. "No, no. NO!" I lay a hand on his shoulder, surveying the room.

There's a load of dead dwarves, some rusting axes. The door looks damp and weak, as though one good push would knock them over. The Fellowship enters the room, Gandalf in the lead. He walks up to the tomb and reads the inscriptions on the top. "Here lies Balin, son of Fundin, Lord of Moria. He is dead then. It is as I feared."

Gimli continues to sob as Gandalf removes his hat in respect for Balin and passes it and the staff to Pippin. He picks up a large book that a skeleton was holding.

"We must move on, we cannot linger," Legolas whispers to Aragorn. I walk over to them, frowning. Riley is shuffling closer to the Hobbits, for safety or to defend the Hobbits I don't know.

"They have taken the Bridge and the second hall. We have barred the gates but cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes. Drums... Drums in the deep," Gandalf mutters, translating from the dusty book. I shiver involuntarily. His last sentence creates an odd fear in my stomach. It's not a nice feeling. Imagine the fear you get when you leave your homework at home and it's due today, for a very strict teacher who doesn't like you, then multiply it by 100. It feels a bit like that.

Pippin is walking backwards, glancing around him as though expecting an attack at any point.

"We cannot get out. A shadow moves in the dark. We cannot get out. They are coming..." Gandalf finishes ominously. I shiver again, more violently this time.

There is a loud crash, and we all whip around to see Pippin's hand outstretched towards a skeleton that begins to fall down the well behind us. The corpse falls. Every crash and bang resounds through the room and makes me jump. "FOR GOD'S SAKE, PIPPIN!" Riley shouts. The Hobbit looks genuinely guilty. I hold my breath waiting for Gandalf's tirade that surely enough-

"FOOL OF A TOOK! Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity!" Gandalf scolds Pippin, taking back his staff and hat. As we all relax again, we turn back to the tomb. Suddenly, a drum is heard. The beats get louder, faster, nearer. _Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom._

"Frodo!" Sam points at Frodo's sword, which he unsheathes. It is glowing.

"Orcs!" Legolas mutters. Boromir runs to the doors and sticks his head out. Suddenly, he draws it back sharply, and I see two arrows stuck in the doors, where his head originally was.

"They have a cave troll," he says drily.

I realise that this probably isn't good, and follow Legolas's example of throwing axes to Aragorn and Boromir to keep the doors shut. We wedge the doors shut and draw back, Aragorn yelling to the Hobbits to stay close to Gandalf.

Gimli climbs up onto Balin's tomb, shouting "Argh! Let them come! There's still one dwarf yet in Moria who still draws breath!"

"How about 'don't let them come, we want to keep one dwarf in Moria alive'!" I shriek, the shouting of the Orcs making it impossible to be heard. Suddenly, an Orc axe breaks a hole in the weak doors and both Legolas and Aragorn shoot their bows, making me jump. I draw my sword, spinning it around a couple of times to get used to it after days without using the blade. Out the corner of my eye, I see Riley edging closer to the Hobbits again. She has her sword in a defensive position and looks just about ready to brutally murder anything that tries to touch her or the Hobbits.

Then, the door is broken down. I see an Orc running towards me, spotting what it thinks is an easy target. I slash my sword at it, decapitating it and getting covered in black, slimy blood as I do so. I stand in shock. I just killed something. I just ended its life. I don't get much time to brood over it, however, as three come charging at me. Stabbing two and decapitating the other, I get soaked with blood. The fight goes on, and I get nicked with a blade so often that my blood is mixed with Orc blood. Not a pretty colour, but it can't be helped.

A loud crash tells me the troll has arrived. It's an ugly thing, could do with some plastic surgery. It's carrying some form of club, which it swings around, crushing the Orcs that lead it from a massive chain around its neck. Spinning round, the troll targets Sam. Lifting its club up, it gets ready to swing. "Not on my watch!" I yell, running up and stabbing it in the back of the knee, giving Sam a distraction to allow him to slide under the troll's legs. Aragorn and Boromir grab the chain from around its neck and pull, Aragorn shouting instructions.

It stumbles around to face them. Swinging the chain around, it flings Boromir against the wall. As an Orc advances on the dazed Boromir, Aragorn and I throw a knife in its neck. He nods in thanks and continues fighting. I turn to the tomb and climb on, using the momentum of my run to propel myself to the ledge that Legolas is shooting from. Sheathing my sword, I grab my bow and continue.

"Remember your aiming lessons, Grace!" Legolas shouts and I relax as much as possible and hone in on my target. Releasing the arrow, it thuds into the shoulder of the troll. It roars and swings the club, smashing the tomb and sending Gimli flying. Legolas also shoots it, drawing its attention. The troll swings the chain at us. "DUCK!" we crouch as the troll tries and fails to hit us, eventually getting the chain caught on a pillar. Legolas, being a little show-off, tests the chain to see if it's wedged, then leaps on. He nimbly runs up, balances on the troll's shoulders and shoots it in the head. The troll roars again and he leaps down.

"I think I'm getting the hang of this!" Sam cries, smacking Orcs around the head with a frying pan. I laugh a little before putting my bow back and getting my sword out, and leaping down back into the fray. Instantly five Orcs turn and surround me. I hold my sword out and spin, slicing every one.

"FRODO!" Aragorn yells, as the troll turn's it's attention to Merry, Pippin and Frodo. It grabs Frodo by the ankle and starts dragging him along the floor.

"Aragorn! ARAGORN!" Frodo cries. The ranger runs over, just as the troll drops Frodo. He hides in a corner as Aragorn pulls out a spear and drives it into the troll's chest. The troll takes a swing at the ranger and knocks him unconscious. He lands in a corner and doesn't move.

Turning back to the Hobbit, the troll pulls the spear and drives it deep into Frodo's chest. He whimpers and gasps, then falls to the floor. "Frodo!" Sam yells. My eyes blur over and my lack of focus causes a gash to be dealt across my forehead. Cursing my lack of attention, I fight with renewed vigour, determined to get to Frodo. I come near the troll and slice at its leg. Merry and Pippin leap onto its neck and start stabbing it in the head and neck. It grabs Merry and flings him to the ground. Pippin however stabs it in the forehead, making it roar in pain. Legolas takes the chance and shoots it. The arrow lodges itself in its mouth. The troll groans and stumbles. It collapses and Pippin flies off it. He lands on my stomach, winding me. "Pip... Can't-breathe," I wheeze. He apologises and leaps off.

We walk over to Frodo, or in my and Aragorn's case, crawl. Our resident ranger rolls over the Ring-Bearer, who is motionless. "Oh no..."

Suddenly, Frodo groans and sits up, clutching his chest.

"He's alive!" Sam breathes a sigh of relief.

"I'm alright, I'm not hurt," Frodo looks around at us all. What a right state we must be in.

"You should be dead! That spear would have skewered a wild boar!" Aragorn murmurs in disbelief.

"I think there's more to this Hobbit than meets the eye," Gandalf says knowingly.

Frodo pulls apart his shirt to reveal what looks like gleaming, fine, silver chainmail.

"Mithril! You are full of surprises master Baggins!" Gimli says, looking at the Mithril in awe.

A loud shriek rips through the silence. "To the Bridge of Khazad-dûm!" Gandalf urges us. We bolt for the door. Shooting out of the tomb cave thingy area, we run down the giant hall held up with stone pillars. The Orcs follow us, climbing from the ceiling and floor like monkeys. We run as far as we can, but are forced stop when the foul things completely surrounded. They shriek and edge forwards. I draw my sword and jab threateningly at the Orcs in front of me.

Then, a roar is heard. The Orcs look terrified and scatter. Gimli grins, believing that he scared them off. We turn to the archway, which is glowing red. "That probably isn't a good sign," I say to Riley.

"What is this new devilry?" Boromir asks Gandalf in a low mutter. Gandalf hesitates before answering, as though he'd forgotten. The red on the archway has spread to the first few rows of pillars by the time he answers.

"A Balrog, a demon of the ancient world. This foe is beyond any of you...**RUN**!"

I don't need telling twice and bolt for the far arch. As we draw near, Boromir shoots ahead. He narrowly misses falling down the edge into a black empty abyss, but luckily, Legolas manages to pull him up just in time. I turn to the stairs and start going down, taking care not to slip. I hear Gandalf say to Aragorn "Lead them on, Aragorn! The Bridge is near!" Aragorn is reluctant, but Gandalf insists. "Do as I say! Swords are of no more use here!"

We continue down the stairs, struggling not to fall. Eventually, we come across some stairs bridging the abyss instead of hugging its walls. We run down, but (just our luck really) there is a gap in the staircase. It's too far to step over, and just possible to jump. Legolas goes first and nimbly jumps over the gap. Turning around, he beckons to the wizard "Gandalf!"

Gandalf jumps. That's when the arrows start. The Orcs are firing at us. One arrow bounces off of Boromir's shield, narrowly missing the Hobbits. "Merry, Pippin!" Boromir takes a Hobbit under each arm and jumps. It's just as well he did, because at that moment, the chunk of stairs they were standing on crumbles away. Legolas pulls out his bow and fires. His first arrow goes straight through the forehead of an Orc. "Brilliant shot!" I shout.

"Sam!" Aragorn picks up the Hobbit and throws him across the gap to Boromir, who catches him. Aragorn turns to Gimli, who holds up his hands. "Nobody tosses a dwarf!" He takes a few steps back and with an almighty leap, jumps across to the other side. Unfortunately, he doesn't quite make it. He lands teetering on the edge, and Legolas grabs onto his beard to pull him up "Not the beard!"

Aragorn starts shooting at the Orcs, just as Legolas and Boromir gesture to Riley and me to jump over. Riley walks backwards a few steps with a determined look on her face. She runs and jumps. Luckily for her, she's always been the school's long jump champion of her year, so she clears it easily. She is steadied by Boromir, who pushes her behind him. They turn to me expectantly. I shake my head. "I don't care what you say, I can't jump. I am going to fall."

"I will catch you, Grace! Trust me!" Legolas urges hurriedly. Sighing, I turn around to run. Then, an Orc gets a lucky shot. I feel agony in my right arm, near to the shoulder. "Owwwwww! Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow," I whimper, clutching around the base of the arrow with my left hand.

"Jump, Grace! We don't have much time, but you need to jump! I will heal your arm, but I cannot do that unless you jump!" Legolas shouts. I let go of my arm, agony searing through it with every movement, and jump. There are a few seconds of freefalling, but then both Boromir and Legolas catch me.

I turn back, just as a piece of rock falls on either side of the rock Aragorn and Frodo are standing on, leaving them on an island of stairs. The bit they are standing on starts to sway. "Steady! Hold on!" Aragorn holds onto Frodo.

The stairs start to way from side to side. "Hang on!" Aragorn holds tighter onto Frodo, "Lean forward!" Frodo obeys his command, wobbling on his feet. The stairs start to lean forwards along with the man and Hobbit. As the stairs crash onto the bit we're all standing on, they jump. As Legolas catches Aragorn and Boromir catches Frodo, we begin to run.

The Bridge looms up ahead. As I glance over my shoulder, I notice all of the flames from the red glow are high, and steadily growing. "Over the Bridge! Fly!" Gandalf waits for us to pass, then runs on himself. The Bridge is scarily narrow. I take it they've never heard on handrails in Middle Earth. Everyone except Legolas and Gandalf slips once or twice as we run. My arm throbs painfully as we stop at the other side of the Bridge.

Gandalf stops half way and turns to the Balrog. "You cannot pass!"

"Gandalf!" Frodo cries in horror. As realisation dawns on me, I start to walk forwards, but Legolas grabs my hand, pulls me back and lets go again, for fear of hurting me.

"I am the Servant of the Secret Fire, Wielder of the Flame of Anor!" Gandalf shouts at the Balrog which is drawing itself up to full height. It draws its sword and holds it high above its head.

"The dark fire will not avail you, Flame of Udûn!" Gandalf shouts at it again, holding out his glowing staff as protection. The Balrog brings its sword down on Gandalf, who blocks it with his staff. I flinch as there is a great crash and white light. The Balrog is forced to drop his sword. It roars at the wizard.

"Go back to the shadow!" Gandalf yells. The Balrog puts a cloven foot out onto the bridge. He brings out a large fiery whip which he holds high.

"YOU! SHALL NOT! **PASS**!" Gandalf roars at the Balrog, bringing his sword and staff down hard on the bridge. I feel goosebumps spread across my arms as I watch. The Balrog snorts and takes another step, but by doing so, he breaks the stone and tumbles down into the abyss. Gandalf sighs and turns to walk away. I begin to smile.

The whip. We forgot the whip. The Balrog hooks Gandalf around the ankle and drags him down. Gandalf drops his sword and clings to the edge of the Bridge. Frodo, Riley and I all run forwards to try and help, but Boromir catches Frodo, Aragorn catches Riley and Legolas catches me.

"Gandalf!" Frodo yells.

The wizard tries to pull himself up, but fails. I try again, to reach him, but Legolas has a grip like iron.

"Fly you fools!" Gandalf whispers, before letting go.

"NOOOOOOOOOooooooo!" Frodo cries, before Boromir starts carrying him out towards the light.

"Let me go, Legolas!" I struggle, ignoring the shooting pains in my arm "_nai lerya!"_ (Release me!)

"NO! You cannot save him now!" He picks me up clean off the floor and carries me out towards the light. I can see Aragorn dragging Riley, who isn't fighting, but isn't exactly cooperating either.

We make it through the exit of Moria, blinded by the sunlight. Legolas puts me down, slightly warily, but I just sit there on the rocks, staring at my knees. Aragorn comes over and cleans my arm with a stinging paste and wraps it up to staunch the bleeding, but I don't even notice. When he moves, I look up and see Gimli being restrained by Boromir. Sam is sitting on a rock sobbing. Merry and Pippin are sitting and hugging each other. Frodo is walking around, Aragorn is wiping his sword, and Legolas and Riley are just standing, not exactly comprehending the situation. A bit like me. I stand up and walk over to Frodo. He looks at me, on the verge of tears. I smile slightly, saying "Keep your chin up, Frodo. We need to keep our heads right now, but there will be time for mourning later."

"...Thank you Grace." He smiles tearfully at me, so I kneel down and hug him. He wraps his arms around my shoulders and we stay there while Aragorn, Boromir and Legolas have a little argument. Well, more Aragorn and Boromir than Legolas.

"Legolas! Get them up!" Aragorn yells.

"Give them a moment for pities sake!" Boromir shouts back. I feel grateful for Boromir, but I can see why Aragorn wants to get us moving.

"By nightfall these hills will be swarming with Orcs! We must reach the woods of Lothlórien! Come! Boromir, Legolas, Gimli, get them up! " Aragorn argues, before lifting Sam up, "On your feet Sam." . He turns to Frodo and me, standing quite a way off, "Frodo, Grace!" I smile a watery smile at Frodo, before standing up and walking back over to the Fellowship, all of whom are standing up and waiting.

Aragorn leads us away from the rocky hills outside Moria. We walk, and walk, and walk. Numbness has settled in my stomach. I don't know if I like it. I don't know if I _should_ like it. All I know is that it's there and it doesn't make my arm any less painful. We continue throughout the day. Aragorn leads us, occasionally running ahead to check our course. Frodo and Sam are second in our group, with Merry and Pippin after. Boromir and Gimli walk closely behind Merry and Pippin, and Legolas, Riley and I bring up the rear. It's quiet. Which is nice, because it gives us a chance to think.

Suddenly, Aragorn runs ahead, splashing through a stream and stopping at a hill. "We are near the woods of Lothlórien! Hurry!" he yells to us. We all pick up our pace, relieved to be near to a place that we can hopefully sleep peacefully.

**Like it? Don't like it? Let me know! Next chapter should be up in a few days!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey! I'm still alive and back with another chapter! I'm sooo sorry! I got caught up with school work again! Stupid teachers... And I have Parent Teacher Interviews soon as well... Fun times.**

**Anyway, thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed, favourited. It means a lot!**

**Soooo... Enjoy! Peace out!**

* * *

We walk silently through the forest. It feels wrong to walk through, as though we're disturbing the peace. Gimli isn't helping the atmosphere, freaking out the Hobbits "Stay close young Hobbits. They say there's a great sorceress who lives in these woods... An elf witch of terrible power... All who look upon her fall under her spell... and are never seen again..."

Frodo looks genuinely terrified, glancing around him, as though expecting an attack. Although with his luck at the moment, I wouldn't be surprised.

Gimli starts bragging "Well, here's one dwarf she won't ensnare so easily! I have the eyes of a hawk, and the ears of a fox!"

Suddenly, I find myself nose to nose with a rather pointy looking arrow. I hear a quick "Oh!" from Gimli and say sharply "What was that, dwarf? Eyes of a hawk and ears of a fox? Keep dreaming!"

He scowls, just as a blonde elf, not quite as cool as Legolas, walks forwards. "The dwarf breathes so loud, we could have shot him in the dark," I snort and grin at the elf.

"You insulted the dwarf! I might just like you!" Riley says sarcastically. Her and Gimli have never gotten on with each other, and are always sniping and whinging like little kids.

"_Mae govannen, Legolas Thranduilion,_" (Well met, Legolas, son of Thranduil) Haldir mutters in elvish.

"_Govannas vin gwennen le, Haldir o Lorien,_" (Our Fellowship stands in your debt, Haldir of Lorien) Legolas replies.

"_A, Aragorn in Dunedain, istannen le ammen_," (Ah, Aragorn of the Dunedain, you are known to us) Haldir turns to Aragorn.

"Haldir," Aragorn bows to, who I am assuming is Haldir.

"So much for the legendary courtesy of the Elves! Speak words we can all understand!" Gimli shouts, growing impatient. Haldir turns to look at him with a disdainful look.

"We have not had dealings with the dwarves since the Dark Days," he says sharply. Gimli bristles angrily.

"And do you know what this dwarf says to that? _Ishkhaqwi ai durugnul!_" ( I spit on your grave!) Gimli shouts. The Elves visibly tense.

"That was not so courteous!" Aragorn says, grabbing Gimli's shoulder.

Haldir turns to look at Sam and Frodo " You bring great evil with you. You can go no further,"

I raise an eyebrow. I can do it almost as well as Elrond, I reckon, and that dude has some pretty awesome eyebrows. Haldir glances at me, before talking to Aragorn in fast paced elvish.

"_Boe ammen veriad lîn. Andelu i ven!_" (We need your protection! The road is fell!) Aragorn whispers urgently. I see Haldir reply, but he is even quieter, and I don't hear it.

"_Merin le telim,_" (I wish that me may come with you!) Aragorn says. Haldir whispers a reply again.

"_Henio, aniron boe amen i dulu lin!_" (Please understand, we need your support!) Aragorn tries again, "_Andelu iv en!_" (The road is very dangerous!)

Haldir hesitates before walking to Frodo "You will follow me."

And so we walk through the woods. Following Haldir, of course. I don't trust myself to walk without getting lost. The little group of Haldir's buddies surrounds us, one for each member of the Fellowship, plus Haldir. They're all blonde and all look like they got out of the wrong side of bed this morning.

"Caras Daladhon. The heart of Elvendom on earth. Realm of the Lord Celeborn and of Galadriel, Lady of Light," Haldir breathes, as we come over a hill. I have to admit, Caras Galadhon is HUGE! And soooooo pretty. Lots of beautiful lights and trees and flowers.

Soooo pretty, until we end up climbing those trees. The ones that have steps around them that lead high into the treetops. Those stairs are killers for your calf and thigh muscles. Even though we've walked through mines and over mountains, stairs still hurt. And a day of running from Moria probably didn't help. By the time we reach the top, everyone except the Lorien Elves, Legolas, and Aragorn. Gimli is comically panting, and Riley and I are breathing heavily and dragging our feet.

We stand in a little group, Aragorn at the front. I stand on the left side of Legolas, Riley on Boromir's left. I stay well away from the edge of the platform, well aware of the fact that we're high in the trees. Bit of a mood killer. Then I am distracted from the height by a glow from in front. Two Elves are descending the stairs, I assume the male is Lord Celeborn, and the female is Lady Galadriel. Aragorn does some weird hand gesture in greeting, while the rest of us stare in awe.

"The Enemy knows you are here. What hope you had in secrecy is now gone. Ten there are here, yet eleven there were set out from Rivendell. Tell me where is Gandalf? For I much desire to speak with him. I can no longer see him from afar," Celeborn says, pretty much in a monotone. I turn to Aragorn, just as Galadriel begins to speak.  
"Gandalf the Grey did not pass the borders of this land. He has fallen into Shadow." She looks shocked.

"He was taken by both Shadow and Flame. A Balrog of Morgoth, for we went needlessly into the net of Moria," Legolas says suddenly, harshly. I flinch at his tone. Galadriel's face softens.

"Needless were none of the deeds in Gandalf's life. We do not yet know his full purpose," Galadriel surveys the entire Fellowship, coming to a stop on Gimli, "Do not let the great emptiness of Khazad-dûm fill your heart, Gimli, son of Gloin. For the world has grown full of peril. And in all lands love is now mingled with grief," Galadriel finishes, turning to look at Boromir with a piercing gaze. The man, shaking, casts his eyes downwards.

"What now becomes of this Fellowship? Without Gandalf, hope is lost." Celeborn begins his depressing monologue again.

"The quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little and it will fail... to the ruin of all," Galadriel says darkly, but finishes in a lighter tone, "Yet hope remains while the Company is true." She smiles at Sam, who holds her gaze.

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Go now and rest, for you are weary with sorrow and much toil. Tonight you will sleep in peace," Galadriel openly smiles to all of us.

With that pretty much useless speech over, I turn to follow Haldir, but then I hear a voice in my head, that sounds like Lady Galadriel.

_Stay behind, Grace of England,_ it says. I flinch for the second time in the space of ten minutes ad turn around. When I see that Riley also has to stay, I relax and walk back. We wait until the Fellowship has gone, before Galadriel speaks.

"You are both of Earth, yet a different Earth to our Middle Earth, are you not?"

We nod, and I say "Yeah, but why exactly are we here?"

"You were brought here for one thing. To help with the destruction of Sauron," Galadriel says.

"Right... Hold on! You were the woman who said... errr, what was it? Oh yeah! 'Welcome to Middle Earth, Grace Smith' or something like that!" I say, realisation dawning on me. When Galadriel simply nods, I sigh, not visibly, but I do it anyway. I was hoping for an answer, but never mind.

"Soooo, when can we go back home?" Riley asks the question pressing on our minds.

"Of that, I am not sure. If it is possible, you will find a way home when Sauron is destroyed. If that is not possible, you will stay here in Middle Earth, forever,"

Great. No more seeing Mum, Dad, friends, family. The horses... Everything. But, at least there's a chance that we can! We have to cling to that!

Galadriel speaks again "Now go and join the Fellowship, for they may be worried about you."

We nod and start walking down the stairs. My legs start hurting again. "So... that was depressing," Riley comments. I nod, more focused on finding the Fellowship.

It doesn't go so well. We search for ages, before we run into Haldir. Literally. We were running towards what we thought sounded like Gimli, but it wasn't. So Haldir took us to the Fellowship, who are settling down to sleep.

Riley and I pull out our bedrolls from our packs and lie them down, before climbing in. I doze off, but sleep fitfully, dreaming of home for the first time since we got here. I guess that we'd been so busy we never got a chance to think about it. Afterwards, I have a dream about Gandalf. He falls over and over again, but instead of his "Fly, you fools," he says "Why didn't you help me?" and his eyes clearly show betrayal. Each time, in the dream, that I run towards him, he lets go.

I wake up shivering. Well, no chance of a full night's sleep tonight! So I sit, playing with my hair. I run my hands through it, combing out the knots. One of the Elves promised us a long bath tomorrow. I can't wait. I see Aragorn move. I hadn't realised he was awake. He notices me and walks over.

"You should be asleep," he comments drily.

"Listen to the pot calling the kettle black," I mumble back, focused on a particularly painful knot.

"Well? Why aren't you asleep?"

"... I keep thinking that... well... I could have saved him, Aragorn! I could have helped him climb back up, or-"

"He did what he thought was best. We all miss him, but everything happens for a reason."

"...You're right. This is why we made you leader," I smile at him, before lying back down and falling into a thankfully dreamless sleep.

* * *

**Yo! I feel like I made a few mistakes in this chapter. Am I making Grace and Riley too MSish? or are they OK? Let me know in a review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**YAY! I'm back! And I'm reeeeeaaaalllllllllyyyy sorry! I was so busy! Since our year is going to start out GCSE's soon, our homework level has reached maximum levels. And school trips have gotten in the way as well... I won't bug you with the list... I'm sorry...**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favourited, followed. IT still means a lot!**

**SO! Enjoy! Peace out!**

* * *

Bathtime! Finally! I waited long enough. I actually begged the elf to take me to the bath. But the fact they were probably terrified is beside the point, BECAUSE I GOT A BATH!

I have to admit, I have NEVER enjoyed the feeling of warm water more in my life. As soon as I sink under the foamy, weirdly oily, water, I let out a sigh of relief. I sit for about ten minutes just wallowing in happiness and water, before noticing the array of bottles. I decide to take a closer look.

...

Turns out that was bubble bath stuff. I now smell like an explosion of freshly picked flowers, freshly cut grass (everyone loves that smell), fresh everything. It's like I am the solid form of springtime.

I only get out when the water is brown because of my hair. I didn't realise the amount of mud in it, so as soon as I washed it, the water turned an interesting shade of brown. So I got out.

The towel that the Elves left is soft and fluffy, and I am dry in a matter of minutes. They also left me some fresh leggings and a tunic, both in varying shades of green. My boots have been scrubbed, so I slip them on. I finish by towel-drying my hair, running a brush (courtesy of the Elves) through the mane of knots. Then, I go back to the Fellowship.

When I get back, everyone appears to be squeaky clean. Even Aragorn. I walk over to him to ask him the plans.

"Later today, the Elves will bring us supplies for the road. We rest here again tonight, and early in the morning tomorrow, we will set off."

"Right. OK," I mumble, slightly depressed that we leave tomorrow. So I walk over to Riley so I can bug her. Turns out, she wanted to bug me, so we form a team and go to bug the Elves instead.

It's quite funny really. We managed to raid the armoury and hide everything. Now there are a lot of Elves wandering around like lost sheep trying to find it. And no one suspects us. No one except Aragorn, who drags us back to camp. And there we stay under Mr. I-Never-Bath-Except-When-The-Elves-Make-Me's steady watch.

Haldir turns up later with some clothes and food for us. I get a new light blue tunic and some grey leggings, with a pair of boots that have padding along the heel and sole of the shoe, to prevent blisters. Riley gets a dark green tunic and chestnut-coloured leggings.

The night is depressing and boring, but I do get some very-much needed sleep. I regret any of the nights so far that I haven't slept. Stupid me. Everyone is in a quiet mood, since tomorrow we set off again. No one really wants to leave, we all feel that if we go, we leave Gandalf even further behind. And no one really wants to do that.

"Never before have we clad strangers in the garb of our own people. May these cloaks help shield you from unfriendly eyes," Celeborn says in a monotone as elves walk forwards and pin a cloak on each one of us. The brooches are small green leaves with silver vines surrounding it. It's quite comfy.

We pack the supplies into some beautiful white boats that the elves gave to us. I help Legolas pile some food into a boat that Pippin and Merry are sitting in. He pulls out a piece of what I recognise to be Lembas. "Lembas. Elvish waybread. One small bite is enough to fill the stomach of a full grown man!" He nibbles on the corner, before wrapping it up and putting it back in the boat. I watch Merry turn to Pippin, saying "How many did you eat?"

"Four," Pippin replies. Both Hobbits look at me guiltily.

I shrug at them "It's not me you have to worry about. I'm not so sure about the Elves though, although you won't catch me telling them."

Merry and Pippin grin, climbing back out of the boat to stand in the line that everyone else is gathered in. I come and stand on the left of Riley, who is on the left of Legolas. Galadriel walks forwards.

"My gift for you, Legolas and Riley, are bows of the Galadhrim, worthy of the skill of our woodland kin, and anyone else who we deem honourable."

Legolas and Riley accept the bow and admire them, whispering their thanks. Galadriel turns to me.

"To you, Grace, I give this sword, Naurlind. It's name means Fire Song (**AN: This is a rough translation, don't trust my judgement**). We will look after your old sword until you have use of it."

I unsheathe the glittering sword. The blade is slightly curved, and is beautifully polished. The handle is the colour of ivory, matching the leather sheathe. The entire thing is extremely light. "_Hannon le_, Lady Galadriel," I say quietly, looking up at the smiling Elf. Galadriel moves onto Boromir, who is gifted a golden belt. It's quite nice actually, and reminds me that instead of holding onto my sword and sheathe, I should attach it onto my belt. I loop the sheathe onto my belt on the left side, for easy use.

"These are daggers of the Noldorin. They have already seen service in war. Do not fear, Peregrin Took. You will find your courage." Galadriel holds two daggers out to Merry and Pippin, who unsheathe them in wonder. Turning to Sam, she says "And for you, Samwise Gamgee, Elven rope made of hithlain."

"Thank you my lady. Have you run out of those nice shiny daggers?" Sam asks hopefully. Galadriel simply smiles before looking at Gimli.

"And what gift would a dwarf ask of the Elves?"

"Nothing. Except to look upon the Lady of the Galadhrim one last time, for she is more fair than all the jewels beneath the earth," Gimli says, blushing slightly. Galadriel laughs. The dwarf starts to turn away, but then stops. "Actually, there was one thing... No, no. I couldn't. It's quite impossible. Stupid to ask..." Galadriel bends over to listen to Gimli's request, then complies, smiling.

She turns to Aragorn and they have a quiet conversation in Elvish. I can't catch any of it, but then she gets louder when talking to Frodo. "Farewell, Frodo Baggins. I give you the light of Eärendil, our most beloved star. May it be a light for you in dark places, when all other lights go out," she finishes, kissing Frodo's forehead. We all turn and climb into the boats. Boromir has one, with Merry, Pippin and Riley. Aragorn is in another with Frodo and Sam, and Legolas has the last with Gimli and me. Gimli gets in first, sitting in front, then me, then Legolas at the back.

We row away from the shore, turning around one last time to see Galadriel raise her hand in farewell as we leave Lothlórien behind.

After a day of rowing, we eventually come to the great river. In front of me, I hear Gimli say "I have taken my worst wound at this parting, having looked my last upon that which is fairest. Henceforth I will call nothing fair unless it be her gift to me,"

"What was her gift?" Legolas and I ask in unison.

"I asked for one hair from her golden head... She gave me three," Gimli sighs dreamily. Legolas and I smile at each other. My happy mood is short lived, however, when I see a pale figure clinging to a log. I grab a spare paddle from the boat and nudge it away from us, just in case.

So we float along the Anduin. The boring, huge Anduin. But hey, it could be worse. So I start singing.

_My best friend gave me the best advice,  
He said each day's a gift and not a given right.  
Leave no stone unturned, leave your fears behind,  
And try to take the path less travelled by.  
That first step you take is the longest stride._

_If today was your last day_  
_Tomorrow was too late  
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?  
Would you live each moment like your last?  
Leave old pictures in the past_  
_Donate every dime you have  
If today was your last day_

Going against the grain should be a way of life  
What's worth the price is always worth the fight  
Every second counts cause there's no second try  
So live it like you're never living twice  
Don't take the free ride in your whole life

If today was your last day  
If tomorrow was too late  
Could you say goodbye to yesterday  
Would you live each moment like your last  
Leave old pictures in the past  
Donate every dime you have  
And would you call old friends you never see  
Reminisce old memories  
Would you forgive your enemies  
And would you find that one your dreaming of  
Swear up and down to god above  
That you'll finally fall in love  
If today was your last day

If today was your last day  
Would you make your mark  
On ending a broken heart  
You know it's never too late  
To shoot for the stars  
Regardless of who you are  
So do whatever it takes  
Cause you can't rewind  
A moment in this life  
Let nothing stand in your way  
Cause the hands of time  
Are never on your side

If today was your last day  
If tomorrow was too late  
Could you say goodbye to yesterday  
Would you live each moment like your last  
Leave old pictures in the past  
Donate every dime you have  
And would you call old friends you never see  
Reminisce old memories  
_Would you forgive your enemies  
And would you find that one your dreaming of  
Swear up and down to god above  
That you'll finally fall in love  
If today was your last day..._

I finish. I love that song. Legolas grins at me "You sing well, you should sing more often,"

I shrug, grabbing the spare paddle and helping Legolas to bring the boat into the shore that we are to stay on tonight. I didn't put much thought into singing, it seemed too... tame. In comparison to the quest anyway.


	10. Chapter 10

**I'm back! And we're near the very end of Fellowship of the Ring! Hold on to your seats, guys, cos this is one hell of a chapter!**

**...I'm just kidding. I can't do fight scenes. I discovered that in Moria...**

**Thanks to all you guys who have followed, reviewed, favourited, the entire works. I love to see your comments!**

**Anyway. Review if you want, follow if you want, favourite if you want! Enjoy!**

**Peace out!**

* * *

I wander away from the fire where Sam is finishing cooking dinner. However, as I come towards the trees, I hear Aragorn and Boromir talking. "Gollum. He has tracked us since Moria. I had hoped we would lose him on the river, But he's too clever a waterman." That was Aragorn. I creep closer and climb up a tree to eavesdrop, making sure that no leaves rustle.

"And if he alerts the enemy to our whereabouts, it will make the crossing even more dangerous..." Boromir responds. They are silent for a minute before Boromir continues "Minas Tirith is the safer road. You _know_ that. From there we can regroup. Strike out for Mordor from a place of strength."

"There is no strength in Gondor that can avail us," Aragorn argues quietly. _Go Aragorn!_ I cheer the resident Ranger on silently.

"You were quick enough to trust the Elves! Have you so little faith in your own people? Yes, there is weakness. There is frailty. But there is courage also, and honour to be found in Men. But you will not see that!" Boromir says furiously. Aragorn turns away, but Boromir grabs him and yanks him back, "You are afraid! All your life, you have hidden in the shadows. Scared of who you are, of _what_ you are!"

"I will not lead the Ring within a hundred leagues of your city!" Aragorn says viciously, stalking off. Boromir stands there for a moment, stunned slightly, before returning to the group. I, however, turn back to my tree, which I climb again. I find a nice nook that has a solid forked branch. I memorise the spot, and climb back down again to the sound of Sam calling that dinner was ready. Dinner was Lembas and sausage. Quite nice actually, but I eat the sausage first because Lembas always fills me up. Also, since we can't really save meat on our journey, I eat that first.

Once I've finished, I grab my pack and climb back up, using my belt to hold by pack and weapons on the branch. My bedroll fits nicely on the fork, making sure that I don't fall off during the night. I settle down, pulling Naurlind out of the ivory sheathe and examining it in the moonlight. It has no scratches, stains, no marks at all! I smile, hoping I don't to use it soon. And with that grim thought, I slide the beautiful sword back into the sheathe and close my eyes lazily.

* * *

"Shh! She'll wake up if you don't be quiet!"

"OK. Sorry,"

"Pippin! More quiet please!" I open my eyes. Riley, Merry and Pippin are leaning over me, barely balanced on the fork.

"Really, guys? You would stoop _that_ low?" I raise an eyebrow. They merely laugh and climb off me. I wait until they're gone before sitting up and rolling up my bedroll. I pull off the belt from the branch, attaching Naurlind to my hip on the left side for easy access, strap my bedroll onto my pack, pull my pack onto my back and attach my bow and quiver onto the back of the pack. Sounds confusing, but I can do it. _Only because Legolas, Aragorn and Boromir taught me how to do it,_ I muse, sliding down the tree. Bad idea, that. Sliding down the tree. My dagger got wedged on a knot in the trunk, and I had to carefully shimmy up the tree to unhook it.

By the time I managed to actually reach the ground, everyone else is ready to go. I grab an apple out of my bag and climb into the boat, happily munching. Gimli gets in after, commandeering the front as before. Legolas is the last. I pull my pack off my back and set it in front of me to make his life easier. He doesn't need my bow up his nose every time he leans forwards. We push off of the shore. I grab the spare paddle and help row, seeing as he must be tired after rowing constantly.

* * *

I reckon I'm more of a hindrance than a help. After five minutes all three of us are soaked. "I think you should leave the rowing to me," Legolas says firmly, confiscating the paddle and setting it down. I pout, turning back around. Suddenly, Aragorn catches everyone's attention "Frodo, the Argonath! Long have I desired to look upon the kings of old. My kin."

We round a corner heavily covered in trees, to see two MASSIVE statues. And when I say MASSIVE, I mean MASSIVE! All I can think of, when I look at them, is 'Don't blink. Blink and you're dead. They are fast, faster than you can believe. Don't turn your back, don't look away, and DON'T BLINK'. I look at Riley as we pass through them, and see by the way that she's staring at them, alternating between the two, that she's thinking exactly the same thing.

We keep going through the Argonath (Riley staring at them suspiciously) and come to a stop on a beach at the edge of a huge lake.

I jump out, stretching. My back hurts from doing nothing all day. Grabbing my pack, I set it against a rock that the Hobbits are settling down against, and sit next to it. After two minutes of sitting there just relaxing, I decide to try my hand at fire starting. I fail. I decide to stop after I make the mistake of trying to get the fire going too fast and singing some of Gimli's beard off.

"We cross the lake at nightfall. Hide the boats and continue on foot. We approach Mordor from the north," Aragorn says decisively.

"Oh, yes? It's just a simple matter of finding our way through Emyn Muil? An impassable labyrinth of razor sharp rocks! And after that, it gets even better! Festering, stinking marshlands as far as the eye can see!" Gimli grumbles.

"Shut up, Gimli, you're scaring the Hobbits. Even worse than that, you're putting them off their food!" I grin at Pippin, who looks thoroughly alarmed.

"That is our road. I suggest you take some rest and recover your strength, Master Dwarf," Aragorn says calmly. I laugh – Aragorn just majorly insulted Gimli, whether he realised it or not.

"Recover my...?! Grrr..." Gimli growls, scowling. I turn away, no longer interested, but watching Legolas and Aragorn mutter under their breath. I only catch a few words, such as 'Leave', 'darkness', worries', and 'shadow'. Not really good words to catch in a conversation. Gimli turns his grumbling back into understandable words. "Recover strength? Pay no heed to that, young Hobbit," he mutters to Pippin.

I see Merry return with some firewood. He throws it down looking pleased with himself, before glancing around, his smile turning to worry. "Where's Frodo?"

Sam jolts out of a doze, looking panicky. Aragorn scans the camp, spotting Boromir's shield, lying abandoned. I grab my bow and quiver from my pack and jump up. Riley joins me, and we shoot off into the forest.

"If Boromir does something stupid, I'm going to kill him by-" Riley's rant is cut off by a horn off in the distance that doesn't sound like Boromir's. We should know. We badgered him into blowing into it to see what it sounded like, then as payback he used it to wake us up. Scared the living daylights out of me.

"I don't think you'll have to kill him. I think someone else is going to do that," I mumble, my legs turning to jelly. "We need to find Aragorn, we were stupid to come here alone!" I say urgently, running off. Riley jumps into action. I follow a random path of cobble and see Aragorn drawing his sword. From the corner of my eye I notice a whole bunch of huge Orc things. "Aragorn what are they?!" I shout.

"Uruk-hai!" he shouts back. He holds his sword up in front of his face, smiling faintly, before swinging his sword. I leap up the stairs of the large seat – like structure and pull my bow out. Shooting arrow after arrow at the Uruk Hai, I am back to back with Riley who is copying my actions. Suddenly, she yells "I'm out of arrows!"

I swing round, chucking my half-empty quiver and bow at her and drawing Naurlind. The blade shimmers in the daylight. I turn back around to see Aragorn being forced up the stairs by the Uruks. I run over and cut a few down, but suddenly, I feel an arm around my waist. I struggle, but the Uruk that has caught me throws me off the structure.

I land heavily on my stomach, knocking the air out of my lungs. "Grace! Aragorn, GO!" Legolas shouts out to the Ranger. I take Gimli's hand to pull me up, and lift up Naurlind again, swinging the sword at the oncoming Uruk. I'm growing tired when three loud horn blasts pierce through the shouting. "The Horn of Gondor," Legolas informs us.

"Boromir!" Aragorn runs off, Riley and I hot on his heels. My lungs ache, but I keep running, my feet pounding against the hard ground.

I overtake Aragorn and shoot off towards the commotion, where I see Boromir telling the Hobbits to run. I skid to a halt and decapitate an Uruk that was heading for Boromir. The man kills two, but then a large Uruk-Hai, obviously the leader, aims a bow at Boromir and shoots. The black feathered arrow hits him in the left shoulder. Boromir gasps for breath and falls to his knees. I stop, stunned. My few seconds of not paying attention allow an Uruk to slice through my calf, causing a large deep gash. The leader aims again as Boromir stands up and swings the sword again. Leader guy growls and shoots. This time it hits Boromir in the stomach. I yell a battle cry and leap at the leader, but an Uruk Hai grabs me and throws me against a tree. I slide down, trying to clear the black spots from my vision. The leader aims a third time and shoots, a third black feathered arrow hitting the courageous man in the stomach.

"No... NO!" I scream, pushing through the pain that's clouding my vision and leaping again, but for a second time I'm caught. This time, I am flung over an Uruk-Hai's shoulder, and carried away. I look back to the fight scene, seeing Merry and Pippin cry out as they too are lifted up by Uruks and carried off.

"Pippin, Merry!" I shriek, reaching out, even though I can't possibly get to them, "Aragorn, BOROMIR! RILEY! GIMLIII! LEEEGGGOOOLAAASSS! AAAAAAAAARRRRRRAAAGGGGOOORRRRNNN! HEELLLPPP USS!" I roar as loud as my damaged lungs will let me. The last thing I see is Aragorn swinging his sword and decapitating the leader and Riley running forwards, yelling my name, before a heavy object hits the back of my skull with a dull thud, and I black out.

* * *

**RILEY POV**

Aragorn and I run up, Aragorn engaging the leader in combat. I search around for Grace, before a scream rents the air. "Aragorn, BOROMIR! RILEY! GIMLIII! LEEEGGGOOOLAAASSS! AAAAAAAAARRRRRRAAAGGGGOOORRRRNNN! HEELLLPPP USS!" I whirl around, knowing that voice as well as I know the back of my hand. _Grace..._ I think, numbly. "Grace... GRACE! GRAACCEE!" I shout, tears blinding me. She is carried out of sight, and I collapse onto my knees, having to crawl my way over to Boromir.

"You... You're gonna be OK..." I whisper as Aragorn runs over.

"They took the little ones and Grace," Boromir coughs.

"Hold still," Aragorn mumbles, trying to figure out how to save him.

"Frodo... Where is Frodo?" Boromir asks, panicking.

"I let Frodo go," Aragorn says gently.

"Then you did what I could not. I tried to take the Ring from him," a solitary tear slides down the dying man's cheek. My eyes sting again as I choke my own tears back.

"The Ring is beyond our reach now," Aragorn explains.

"Forgive me... I did not see it. I have failed you all," Boromir chokes on his words.

"Don't say that... You fought, you didn't run! You haven't failed anyone!" I sniff.

"No, Boromir. You fought bravely. You have kept your honour," Aragorn consoles, reaching out to pull the arrows out, but Boromir makes him stop. The man winces, the action causing him pain.

"Leave it! It is over... The world of Men will fall. And all will come to darkness, and my city to ruin," Boromir mutters.

"I do not know what strength is in my blood, but I swear to you I will not let the White City fall, nor our people fail."

"Our people... Our people." Boromir gazes off into the sky. He turns his gaze to his sword and reaches for it, but can't quite get it. Aragorn grabs it and places the hilt in his hand. The man clasps it to his chest. A disturbance behind me tells me that Legolas and Gimli have arrived.

"I would have followed you, my brother. My captain. My King," Boromir takes one last breath, before his body relaxes. I sob, failing at stifling it. Aragorn touches his hand to his forehead and lips in respect, before kissing Boromir on the brow. "BE at peace, son of Gondor."

He stands up, grabbing my hand and pulling me into a hug for a couple of minutes. When he lets me go, he says "They will look for his coming from the White Tower. But he will not return."

We trudge down to the shore, Aragorn and Legolas bearing Boromir's body, which they remove the arrows from and place in a boat. The one that he travelled in with Merry and Pippin.

We push the boat off, watching it float away to the waterfall, where it teeters on the edge, then disappears. Legolas pushes a boat into the water. "Hurry! Frodo and Sam have reached the Eastern Shore!"

Aragorn sighs and watches the opposite bank, where I see two Hobbits walk into the forest.

"You mean not to follow them," Legolas says simply, suddenly understanding.

"Frodo's fate is no longer in our hands," Aragorn mutters quietly.

"Then it has all been in vain. The Fellowship has failed," Gimli says gruffly. Legolas, Gimli and I walk and stand in front of the Ranger, who clasps their shoulders and looks me directly in the eye.

"Not if we hold true to each other. We will not abandon Merry and Pippin to torment and death. Not while we have strength left. Leave all that can be spared. We travel light!" Aragorn smiles. He picks up a dagger from the ground and slides it into a sheathe on his belt, "Let's hunt some Orc." And with that, he runs off into the forest. Gimli glances at Legolas.

"YES! HAha!" He yells, running after him. Legolas follows, pushing me in front of him.

"Sadistic dwarves..." I sigh, sprinting to catch up with the Ranger. _ I just hope we find them in time..._

* * *

**AN: SO! That's the end of FOTR! I'm so sad! I nearly cried during the last bit as I re-watched it. When I first watched the trilogy, none of the deaths bothered me, but now they do! Boromir, Gandalf (even though he comes back), Haldir... WHO DIDN'T HAVE TO DIE!**

**Anyway guys, I'll be sure to upload the next chapter soon. Goodbye FOTR... MAke way for TTT!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hi! Another new chapter! I feel like I could keep going all the time! Anyway, this is the longest chapter that I've written (3000 words!) but it's not as long as some FanFiction writer's chapters :\ .**

**Either way, thanks to all of you who reviewed, favourited, followed, the works, and please feel free to do so for this chapter.**

**Enjoy! Peace out!**

* * *

**GRACE POV**

"Ohh... I don't feel so goooddd..." My words slur as I struggle to regain consciousness.

"Grace? Merry!" Pippin whispers to me and his fellow Hobbit. I open my eyes blearily only to find myself staring at the back of an Uruk Hai head. Lovely. My face hurts from sleeping with my cheek pressed against the fold of my cloak. My leg feels like it's about to drop off, and in that moment, I surprise myself by being grateful towards the Uruks for carrying me. Albeit in an uncomfortable way, with my wrists tied around the neck of one of the foul beasts.

Suddenly, we jerk to a stop. I crane my neck, wincing when I get cramp, and see a bunch of Orcs appear from around the rocks in front of us. I can tell the difference now, cos Orcs are a lot smaller than Uruk-hai. The Orc leader says in a grating voice "You're late. Our master grows impatient. He wants the girl and the Shire Rats now."

The Uruk leader turns very slowly to look down on him "I don't take orders from Orc maggots. Saruman will have his prize. We will deliver them."

The larger of the two turns back away from the Orc, who I can see harbours immediate dislike. All I want to shout out about the 'Orc maggot' thing is **_OHH, BUUURRRRNNNN!_** But the fear of not making it out of this sticky mess stops me from doing so.

The Uruks are drinking something out of a water skin. I lick my lips. Some water would be nice right now, but I reckon that whatever they're drinking, it's _not_ water. Pippin, however, decides that any liquid would be good for Merry, who's moaning feverishly on my right side.

"My friend is sick. He needs water. Please!" Pippin begs the Uruks.

"Sick is he? Give him some medicine, boys!" An Uruk-hai laughs as another takes the waterskin and pours a thick syrupy liquid down the poor Hobbit's mouth. Merry chokes and splutters on the sticky substance.

"Stop it!" Pippin shouts.

"Can't take his draught!" the beasts laugh as Merry retches over and over again.

"Leave him alone!" Pippin shouts again.

"He didn't deserve that!" I yell my input.

"Why. You want some? Huh?" The Uruk-hai who poured the liquid asks menacingly. We shake our heads frantically. "Then keep your mouth _shut_!"

"Merry?" Pippin whispers to the now conscious Hobbit.

"Hello, Pip," Merry responds quietly.

"You're hurt..." Pippin says, nodding at the gash on Merry's forehead.

"I'm fine. It was just an act."

"An act?" Pippin seems surprised.

"It was a good 'act', Merry. Please don't frighten us like that again. _Please_," I out extra emphasis on the last word.

"See? I fooled you too. Don't worry about me, Pippin. Or you, Grace. Worry about yourself with that leg..." the Hobbit glances down at the gash on my calf, which is still throbbing.

"What is it. What do you smell?" an Uruk breaks up our conversation by asking the leader about what he smells, for some reason.

"Man flesh!" The leader shouts.

"They've picked up our trail!"

"Aragorn..." Pippin whispers. I grin. _They haven't abandoned us after all!_

Pippin tears out the brooch of his Lorien cloak as we move off again. It's a good idea. Should give them another clue.

**RILEY POV**

Aragorn straightens up from leaning his head against a rock. _That can't be comfy_, I think, observing the strange procedure.

"Their pace has quickened. They must have caught our scent," our favourite Ranger stands up and turns to us three. 'Us three' includes me, Legolas and Gimli, "Hurry!" Aragorn calls, running off. I groan. The feeling was returning to my feet. I set off again, Grace's sword and numerous other weapons that I grabbed for her slowing me down.

"Come on, Gimli!" Legolas shouts behind him to the dwarf.

I slow down to run with Gimli. "Three days and nights pursuit. No food, no rest, no sign of our quarry but what bare rock can tell!"

"Hmm... Aragorn seems to know what he's doing."

And so we run. And run. And run. It doesn't end! You'd think after running for three days Aragorn would give us a break that lasts longer than half an hour!

I am interrupted from my thoughts when I trip over Aragorn, who's crouching down in the dirt.

"Dude! Don't stop like that!" I scold him. However, my scowl turns into a confused raised eyebrow as Aragorn pulls something green and shiny from the ground. He brushes the bud off of it, and I recognise it as one of the brooches on our cloaks. "Not idly do the leaves of Lorien fall..." Aragorn trails off.

"They may yet be alive," Legolas points out, running up to us.

"Less than a day ahead of us. Come!" Aragorn runs off again. I sigh. Looks like no break.

I hear a thud behind us and see Gimli fall down the hill from behind a rock. "Come, Gimli! We are gaining on them!" Legolas calls.

The dwarf struggles to get up, to I backtrack and pull him to his feet. "I am wasted on cross country! We dwarves are natural sprinters! Very dangerous over short distances..."

"Yep. Keep telling yourself that, cos if you make it out of this alive, I challenge you to a sprinting contest. Grace and Legolas might join, possibly Aragorn," I grin.

"I accept your challenge, lassie!" Gimli roars.

We struggle over some boulders, leaping and crawling when necessary. Aragorn climbs up onto a rock that overlooks some very green but rocky plains. "Rohan. Home of the Horse-lords. Something strange is at work here. Some evil gives speed to these creatures... sets its will against us."

He jumps back down after his depressing monologue and once again starts running. We run for about five minutes before coming to another rocky area. Legolas jumps ahead and climbs up a rock. "Legolas! What do your Elf eyes see?" Aragorn calls out.

"The Uruks turn Northeast! They're taking the Hobbits to Isengard!" Legolas peers into the distance, relaying the information. I have to use my human ears to hear Aragorn, who simply says "Saruman..."

And then we run again. I'm beginning to feel that my feet will never fully heal.

"Keep breathing... That's the key... Breathe... HO..." Gimli pants behind me. He's fallen behind quite a bit. I've fallen quite a bit. Fallen as in tripped up. Every time I do, Aragorn or Legolas pulls me up, but t doesn't get any less painful with each time I perform my random gravity checks.

"Just keep breathing! Just keep breathing! What do we do, we breathe..." I sing the song from Finding Nemo, replacing the words. Gimli gives me a strange look, but I ignore him. The singing keeps my sanity.

"They run as if the very whips of their masters were behind them," Legolas comments.

"You could never be a poet, Legolas," I grin.

**GRACE POV**

I wake up from my nap when I am thrown roughly to the ground, landing on my stomach again. Merry and Pippin land on my right side, gasping for breath as they too are winded.

"We're not going no further until we've had a breather!" an Orc grumbles.

The Uruk leader yells "Get a fire going!" The Orcs grab some axes and run into the forest, chopping down the nearest trees.

"Merry, Merry!" Pippin crawls closer to Merry. I mimic his movements and inch forwards, made difficult by our bound hands.

"I think we might have made a mistake leaving the Shire, Pippin," Merry smiles faintly. I am about to speak when some loud groans cut me off.

"What's making that noise?" Pippin asks, worried for the safety of us three.

"It's the trees..." whispers Merry in awe, as he stares at the forest.

"What?" Pippin looks thoroughly confused.

"How much have you smoked, Merry?" I joke slightly.

"You remember the Old Forest, on the borders of Buckland? Folks used to say there was something in the water that made the trees grow tall and come alive..."

"Alive?" Pippin and I repeat in unison.

"Trees that could whisper, talk to each other, even move," Merry trails off, smiling. I glance at him, worried about his mental health after the gash on his forehead.

"I'm starvin'. We ain't had nothing but maggoty bread for three stinking days!" an Uruk yells out.

"Yeah! Why can't we have some meat?" an Orc stares around, coming to rest on our little trio, sitting off to the side, "What about them? They're fresh..."

"They are not for eating." We are dragged away from the group by the leader of the Uruk hai. Again, I feel that gratefulness towards the Uruk for stopping the Orcs from eating us alive.

"What about their legs? They don't need those. Ooh, they look tasty!" another Orc runs towards us. I flinch, but the leader pushes him back into the group with a yell of "Get back, scum!"

There is uproar. Everyone wants to eat our legs... That sounds weird, doesn't it? The leader bursts through by yelling "The prisoners go to Saruman. Alive and unspoiled!"

The Orc that tried to eat our legs questions him again "Alive? Why alive? Do they give good sport?"

"They have something. An Elvish weapon. The master wants it for the war."

"They think we have the Ring!" Pippin whispers.

"Shh! As soon as they find out we don't we're dead!" Merry hushes him.

"What about me? I'm not a Hobbit, I have no reason to stay alive in their eyes!" I panic as quietly as I can.

"Just say that you know the whereabouts of the Ring and they'll keep you alive," Pippin suggests.

I relax a little at that, but tense up again at the sound of a hiss behind us. "Just a mouth full... a bit off the flank!" an Orc raises his sword, but the leader decapitates him. The head lands in front of us.

"Looks like meat's back on the menu, boys!" The leader roars. All three of us are pushed out the way as the Orcs and Uruks feast on the body. I retch. "Pippin! Grace! Let's go!" Merry reminds us. I crawl forwards, biting my lip to stop myself crying out from the pain in my calf. We manage about a metre before an Orc stands on Merry's back. "Go on. Call for help. No one's gonna save you now..." he draws his knife and grabs Pippin's chin. I hear a sudden whistle, before the Orc is stabbed through the back by a spear. He falls over. Dead.

I lie there in shock, before Pippin unties my bonds. I stand up and limp over to the side, when I am distracted by Pippin's scream. He yells as he is knocked over onto the ground and a horse rears up, nearly smashing his skull. Luckily, he manages to get up just in time. I try to make it to where Merry and Pippin are waiting, but a flying arrow from a man on horseback causes me to veer off in another direction. I trip over and pull myself along, before a spear tip in my back forces me to stop.

The Uruks and Orcs are mostly dead now. So I roll over to find a blonde haired man standing over me. "Who are you, and how did you come to be with this Orc pack? Speak quickly!" he says, in a harsh tone. I gulp, but answer anyway.

"I- I'm Grace. I was kidnapped by the Orcs and Uruks along with my two Hobbit friends, Merry and Pippin."

"I see... How were you kidnapped?"

"Umm... I was travelling with ten other companions. One, we lost in Moria. Another was shot and killed by the same Uruk pack, which ambushed us by the Anduin. I was caught trying to save him. They cut the back of my calf," I answer. The man seems hesitant, but removes the spear.

"My name is Éomer. You should come with us. I give no promises that you will see your companions again, but we can see to your leg," Éomer pulls me up and helps me over to the group of riders, who are piling up the corpses. He pulls out a needle, thread, some herbs, a bowl and pestle, and some clean bandages.

"The cut is infected. I will put these herbs on it, which will numb it and fight the infection. It will have to be stitched."

I nod and look away as Eomer cuts away the part of my leggings below the knee. I haven't actually looked at the cut, since I can't stand that sort of thing. Too gory for me. The blonde haired man cuts up and mashes the herbs in the wooden bowl before applying the sloppy paste. It stings, and I bite down hard onto my tunic to stop any noise from escaping.

He threads the needle and warns me that he's going to start. I bite on my tunic again and shut my eyes, but it is surprisingly painless. When he is done, he applies more paste and wraps it up in the bandages.

"It is done," Éomer says, helping me up and onto a horse that has no rider. "Her name is Scieno, meaning Beauty. She is loyal, fast, and will not fail you. She is yours now."

Scieno is a skewbald mare. She lives up to her name – she is beautiful. "Thanks, Éomer!" I smile tiredly at the man. He smiles back.

"You should rest. Here, eat this. It will help you sleep," he responds, handing me a small beetroot shaped plant. I examine it closely, before tentatively chewing on the end. It's very bitter, but seems to be working, and quite soon, I am dead to the world again.

**RILEY POV**

Legolas does his poetic stance again. "A red sun rises. Blood has been spilled this night."

"What did I tell you? You could never be a poet, Legolas!" I grin, but inwardly, I am worried for Grace and the Hobbits. What if the blood spilled was _theirs_? Suddenly, Aragorn leaps behind a large rock and hides, grabbing me and gesturing for the other two to follow. We appear to have hidden just in time, because soon after, a band of men on horses thunders past. So what does our Ranger do? Only steps out and yells at them!

"Riders of Rohan! What news from the Mark?"

The horsemen hear him and turn around in a tight circle, heading back this way with spears drawn. They form a tight ring around us. We stand back to back as the leader rides forwards, spear pointed at us.

"What business does an Elf, a man, a child and a dwarf have in the Riddermark? Speak quickly!"

"Give me your name, horse master, and I shall give you mine," Gimli leans on his axe, raising an eyebrow at the man, who I instantly dislike.

_You tell him, Gimli!_ I cheer the dwarf on silently.

"I would cut off your head, dwarf, if it stood but a little higher from the ground," the man dismounts and walks forwards.

"You would die before your stroke fell!" Legolas draws his bow faster than I can blink and aims it. The spears come a lot closer. I find myself going cross eyed as one comes near to my nose. Aragorn pushes the bow down. "I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn. This is Gimli, son of Gloin, Legolas of the Woodland Realm, and Riley, of..."

"Of not really anywhere," I answer for him, grinning at the man's stunned look.

"We are friends of Rohan, and of Théoden, your King," Aragorn finishes.

"Theoden no longer recognises friend from foe," the man says reluctantly, removing his helmet, "Not even his own kin." The spears are lifted away as he speaks.

"Saruman has poisoned the mind of the King and claimed lordship over his lands. My company are those loyal to Rohan and for that we are banished. The White Wizard is cunning. He walks here and there, they say, as an old man hooded and cloaked, and everywhere his spies slip past our nets."

"We are no spies. We track a party of Uruk hai westward across the plain. They have taken three of our friends captive," Aragorn explains our predicament.

A flicker of recognition crosses the man's face. "The Uruks are destroyed, we slaughtered them during the night."

"But there were two Hobbits and a girl. Did you see two Hobbits and a girl with them?" Gimli asks quickly.

"They would be small, the Hobbits, only children to your eyes, and the girl had red hair," Aragorn expands on the descriptions quietly and peacefully.

"We left none alive. We piled the carcasses and burned them," the man says, almost sadly. I feel my eyes sting with unshed tears, however, the man continues. "However, we did find a red haired girl matching your description. Scieno!" The man calls over a skewbald horse, and sitting on top...

"GRACE!" I shriek, springing forwards and hugging my friend, which is quite hard to do considering she's on a horse. Grace dismounts, smiling, although she looks absolutely knackered.

"What about the Hobbits?" Aragorn presses.

"Dead?" Gimli asks suddenly.

The man nods. "I am sorry,"

Legolas places a hand on Gimli's shoulder in comfort, which is strange, because they never really liked each other before.

The man whistles "Hasufel! Arod! May these horses bear you to better fortune than their former masters. Farewell."

Two horses walk forwards, one is a sorrel, and one is white. The man mounts his horse. "Grace, you may keep Scieno. Look for your friends, but do not trust to hope. It has forsaken these lands. We ride north!" The riders follow the man, leaving us five alone with the horses

**GRACE POV**

I turn away from the shrinking figures of the horsemen and silently walk up to Aragorn and give him a massive hug. After about a minute, I do the same for Legolas, Gimli, then I turn back to Riley and give her the biggest hug of all of them.

"I missed you Grace," Riley says simply.

"I missed you too."

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**Not to sound selfish or pretentious or anything, but I really loved that ending. This chapter was really easy to write. Much easier than all of the others. Maybe it's because I always find this bit of the film interesting and funny. Maybe it's because I'm getting better as a writer.**

**So, I hope you enjoyed! Feel free to follow or favourite, but I'd love some more reviews. If I've done anything wrong, or if I need to change something, just let me know!**

**Peace out, readers!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hi people. I'm back with a new chapter. And yes, I know it's shorter than most of my others, but I'm a bit annoyed. You wanna know why? I'll tell you why. I was reading someone else's FanFiction about a week ago, and I saw that the author had posted a chapter with a small author's message at the top, saying about how they reached 1000 views (Congrats by the way, if you're reading this). **

**So I got a little confused, still being relatively new to the entire system of this website, and asked what they meant. They told me how to find out how many people have viewed your story. Not_ re_viewed, just _viewed_. **

**So now this is what is annoying me. 1058 people have viewed this story, and only 3 have reviewed. _3_! Now I understand that not everyone has the time to write an essay on the good and bad points on a chapter, but it doesn't take a minute to post a small comment, does it?! **

**So, enjoy the story, and I'm sorry if this rant doesn't apply to you, but I had to get it out of my system. Review, favourite, follow, enjoy. Peace out! - **

* * *

"What happened to your leg?" Riley asks me suddenly, taking me aback. Not so much that I nearly fall off the horse, but enough to make me flinch, and her laugh.

"Oh! One of the Uruks got my leg when I tried to save Boromir. It got infected, and Éomer got rid of the infection, stitched it, and bandaged it up," I explain, realising that I still have one long leg of my leggings, and one cut off. Holding onto the reins in my teeth, I take a dagger and slice off the other knee, keeping the material just in case.

"May I see it?" Aragorn asks. I nod, unwinding the bandage and plonking down on the grass. The stitches are still tight, and it appears to be healing, but that's my opinion. "It is fine. Éomer did a good job with it," Aragorn smiles, pulling me up again. I rewrap the bandages and scramble onto Scieno's back. Riley hops on after me, Aragorn takes Hasufel (the sorrel), and Legolas and Gimli take Arod, the snowy white.

"Oh! And Grace!" Riley makes me jump as we start off, "I brought your weapons with me, after you dropped them. I collected as many arrows as I could find in the time we had from the battle field and divided them up. We each have 13. Here." My best friend passes me my bow, quiver, belt, sheathes and Naurlind. As my eyes get watery, I turn around and hug her again. I thought I'd lost them. "You're welcome," she smiles, when I don't say anything, "but can you please guide this horse?!"

I grin, turning back to the reins as she starts to panic. "Tell me honestly... Did you really think I'd let us crash and fall off, possibly injuring Scieno?" I ask her. "Yes." Her response is immediate, but then she falters, "Err... probably. Maybe. I don't know how much you like this horse, so I can't tell, can I?" I laugh at her hesitation and focus on the smoking pile in the distance.

* * *

After about ten more minutes of riding (my butt's numb already) we reach the Orc pile. The stench of the rotting burning corpses makes me retch, and behind me I can hear Riley gasping for clean air. Legolas, Aragorn and Gimli dismount, but Riley and I merely grab the horses and lead them away so that they can eat some non-trampled grass. In fact, I wouldn't have gone near the pile if it weren't for the fact that Gimli found one of the Hobbits' belts. His exact quote is "It's one of their wee belts." I gasp and run forwards. Having lost the Hobbits last night, I feel a bit guilty.

"_ Hiro hyn hîdh ab 'wanath..._" Legolas mumbles quietly. (May they find peace after death...) I translate to Riley, who closes her eyes in sadness. Aragorn lets out a positively terrifying yell as he kicks an Orc helmet across the landscape. Falling to his knees, he puts his head down. I stagger over, saying quietly "Dude, that might have broken your foot. You should check that." He ignores me.

Gimli leans on his axe and mutters "We failed them." Aragorn seems to be about to retort angrily, when he notices the ground. Perking up very, very slightly, he says "A Hobbit lay here, and the other..." He kneels up and crawls "They crawled... Their hands were bound," he says, a little bit louder, holding up a sliced rope which is covered in straw. Next to it, I see my ropes, which were untied by Pippin. "Their bonds were cut." He throws down the rope and continues to search; leaning over in a way that would kill your back of you did it too long. I mention this to Riley, who agrees, and we decide to tell Aragorn, in order to 'warn him of the dangers of arthritis'. Unfortunately, he ignores us and we gain some weird looks from Legolas and Gimli. They either don't have arthritis in Middle-Earth, or they don't care about arthritis in Middle-Earth. I'm going to go with the latter, seeing as the Dwarves must get arthritis from mining all the time.

"They ran over here," Aragorn continues. I walk behind him, along with Legolas, marvelling over his tracking abilities and making a mental note to bug him about it later. "They were followed..." Now this bit I can see. The Orcs aren't exactly graceful and this particular one has left huge muddy footprints behind in a lovely trail for the world to see.

"The tracks lead away from the battle!" Aragorn runs after the tracks, but then stops, looking up at the great woods. "... Into Fangorn Forest..." I put on the emergency brakes in order to not crash into him, and stare up at the twisted forest. I can hazard a guess that not much light can get through those tree tops, so it's going to be dark. And you can bet that they plan on a rescue mission in there, despite the fact that it's dark.

"Fangorn... What madness drove them in there?" Gimli whispers. I scowl. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe the sixty-odd Uruks and Orcs threatening to either take them to Saruman or eat them alive. Or maybe it was the Rohirrim people who were going stabby-stab-stab with their spears and swords and shooting random stuff with bows to kill everything in sight. MAYBE it was because they have a rational want to live to their next birthday! Use your brain, Gimli!" I mutter under my breath. The only ones able to hear it are Riley, because she's right next to me, and Legolas, because of his super-elf hearing. The Elf in question smirks at me, before following our favourite Ranger into Fangorn Forest.


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: I understand that I've only left 24 hours between posting, so I _shouldn't_ really think that my review count would go up, but the view count has gone up to over 1160. Let that sink in. 3 reviews, yet the story has been read over 1160 times.**

**I say nothing. **

**Peace out.**

* * *

I swear to the Middle-Earth god that if these trees don't leave me alone, I will torch EVERY SINGLE ONE OF 'EM! Every step there's always a root, or a branch, or even a patch of wet leaves just _waiting_ to injure us in some way. They couldn't be nice trees. Oh no, they have to try to hinder us in EVERY SINGLE WAY POSSIBLE!

I told this to Aragorn, who just laughed and continued on. When I tried to explain to Legolas, he told me I was being silly. Only Gimli and Riley seem to understand me! Although I'm not entirely sure I trust Gimli's judgement anymore. He spots some dark liquid on a leaf and dips his fingers in it. After that, he proceeds to lick it, of all things! This is when I think that the four days of running that Riley told me about have addled his brain beyond repair.

"Orc blood," Gimli mutters, spitting the nasty stuff out. I shake my head, sighing at his idiocy.

"You do realise that you could have identified that in other ways, right? You do realise that you didn't have to taste it to say what it was? Better still, you do realise that you probably shouldn't even _touch_ strange liquids that you find in a forest?!" Riley asks incredulously. I slap the back of her head to get her to shut up, a slight headache forming.

As we walk, my headache doesn't improve. In fact, everything in this forest seems to be the root cause of it!... No pun intended... The trees like to hit me still, Riley likes to scream at every single spider. Legolas likes to shoot every single spider. "Why would you even do that?" I ask him. He replied quite sheepishly "I don't like spiders." As if it wasn't obvious by the multiple arrow holes in each tree. No wonder the forest doesn't like us!

After another five minutes of walking, Riley manages to trip over a massive hole in the floor. Instead of helping her, we four others were either dying of laughter (me), not interested (Gimli) holding up the dying person (Legolas) or examining the hole in the floor (Aragorn). "These are strange tracks," Aragorn comments.

Gimli ignores him, breathing heavily. "The air is so close in here," he mutters grumpily.

Legolas does his little 'I'm a very wise old (definitely) Elf and I can do staring off into memory and everything' look, commenting unnecessarily "This forest is old..."

"How old?" I interrupt.

"-Very old..." he continues, "Full of memory and anger."

Helpful.

The trees groan at us. Guess they don't like being called angry or old. Gimli raises his axe in defence. "Gimli! Lower your axe!" Aragorn motions to the Dwarf, who starts, but lowers his axe.

"They have feelings my friend. The Elves began it. Waking up the trees, teaching them to speak," Legolas gives Gimli a mini history lesson.

"Why the hell would you do that?!" Riley shouts at Legolas, who cowers, at exactly the same time that I mutter "Sounds both pointless and tedious," and at the same time Gimli grumbles "Talking trees. What do trees have to talk about? Except the consistency of squirrel droppings?"

I shrug, not really wanting to talk much more cos of my headache, which is steadily turning into a migraine.

Suddenly, Legolas makes me jump, whispering "_Aragorn! Nad no ennas!" _(Aragorn! Something's out there!)

Aragorn replies equally quietly "_Man cenich?_" (What do you see?). I translate both of these to Riley as Legolas scans the forest.

"The White Wizard approaches..."

"Saruman?" I ask quietly.

Aragorn's expression turns to anger. "Do not let him speak – he will put a spell on us. We must be quick," he says, drawing his sword almost silently. Riley and I grab two throwing knives each and get ready. On Aragorn's signal we all turn around and attack. We aim and throw, but the knives are deflected and we have to duck to avoid them. The same thing happens to Gimli's axe, which he quickly replaces (**AN: How many of those does he have?! Where is he hiding them?!**), and Legolas's arrow.

Aragorn is about to swing his sword at the wizard, but the handle turns white-hot, forcing him to drop it or risk burns. With a clang, we are left defenceless, and the only thing that we can do is shield our eyes from the bright light of the wizard. _This isn't helping my migraine!_ I shout angrily in my thoughts.

"You are tracking the footsteps of two young Hobbits," the light says in a deep voice.

"Where are they?" Aragorn demands. _Good going, numbnuts. You just alerted the enemy to our plans!_

"They passed this way, the day before yesterday. They met someone they did not expect. Does that comfort you?"

"In all seriousness, I don't care who you are, just turn the lights down before I _make _ you turn them down. Capisce?" I shout at the light, which seems to dim a little.

"Who are you? Show yourself!" Aragorn yells, not happy with not being blinded. The lights fade even more, to reveal a face I thought I'd never see again. "Gandalf!" Riley and I run forwards and hug him, right there and then. He hugs us back with a chuckle. As we step away again, beaming, Aragorn approaches, amazed. "It cannot be!"

"Forgive me. I mistook you for Saruman," Legolas apologises, he and Gimli kneeling down.

"I am Saruman –" Gandalf begins, and everyone tenses, but we all relax as he continues "-Or rather Saruman as he should have been."

"You fell," Aragorn says in an accusing voice.

"Through fire, and water. From the lowest dungeon to the highest peak I fought with the Balrog of Morgoth. Until at last, I threw down my enemy and smote his ruin upon the mountainside. Darkness took me and I strayed out of thought and time. The stars wheeled overhead and every day was as long as a life age of the earth. But it was not the end. I felt life in me again. I've been sent back until my task is done."

"Gandalf..." Aragorn mumbles.

"Gandalf?" the wizard seems confused, "Yes, that was what they used to call me. Gandalf the Grey. That was my name."

"Gandalf," Gimli smiles happily.

"I am Gandalf the White, and I come back to you now at the turn of the tide," Gandalf ushers us all back through the forest. I turn to Aragorn "Dude, you wouldn't happen to have anything for a bad headache/migraine, would you?"

The Ranger pauses and disappears for ten seconds, before returning with a root of some kind. After shaving the outer layer off of it, he cuts a bite size piece off and tells me to chew it, before stashing the rest away somewhere. I eye it suspiciously, but I trust Aragorn and he hasn't killed me yet, so I eat it.

BAD MISTAKE. The root was bitter. Then it was sour. I don't know how a root can be sour, but it was. I don't like it.

On the other hand, it got rid of my headache. I guess you have to suffer to be beautiful... Not really, but it kinda works.

"One stage of your journey is over, another begins. War has come to Rohan, we must ride to Edoras with all speed," Gandalf explains grimly to us.

"Edoras? That is no short distance!" Gimli complains loudly.

"We hear of trouble in Rohan. It goes ill with the King," Aragorn runs up to walk with Gandalf.

"Yes, and it will not easily be cured."

"Then we have run all this way for nothing? Are we to leave those poor Hobbits here in this horrid, dark, dank, tree-infested-" Gimli moans, but the angry noises of the forest cut him off "- I mean charming, quite charming forest."

"Are you serious, Gimli? 'Tree-infested'? It's a FOREST!" I point out the obvious to him.

"It was more than mere chance that brought Merry and Pippin to Fangorn. A great power has been sleeping here for many long years. The coming of Merry and Pippin will be like the falling of small stones that starts an avalanche in the mountains," Gandalf manages to confuse us all.

"IN one thing you have not changed, dear friend," Aragorn says quietly to Gandalf.

"Hm?"

"You still speak in riddles," Aragorn finishes. They share a laugh, before Gandalf continues his confusing speech "A thing is about to happen that has not happened since the Eldar Days. The Ents are going to wake up... and find that they are strong."

"Strong?" Gimli breathes nervously. The trees moan again. "Oh, that's good," he finishes.

"Stop your fretting, Master Dwarf. Merry and Pippin are quite safe. In fact, they are far safer than you are about to be," Gandalf scolds Gimli. I'm glad that he did it, and that Riley and I wouldn't have to do it ourselves. Because we _might_ just cause Gimli some psychological damage.

"This new Gandalf's more grumpy than the old one."

* * *

**I'm adopting a new policy which I think is reasonable. I should have done this from the start. Hindsight is a beautiful thing. Anyway, from now on, I'm not posting a new chapter unless two people review. That might sound harsh, but I spend at least two hours on a chapter, what with writing, proof-reading and editing over and over again, and I think that it's only fair, seeing as it doesn't take a minute to leave a comment.**

**So, review if you want another chapter.**


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: Well, it wasn't quite two reviews, but I thank DeLacus (I hope I spelled that right) for reviewing - Gimli has no logic. Also, I want to thank Lead Owl for following. Thanks guys! I now feel a bit better about continuing to post this...**

**So. I still want reviews, but I guess that won't happen. Enjoy. Peace out.**

* * *

Gandalf successfully leads us out of the tangled overgrowth of Fangorn Forest. I stumble over the last root and fall flat on my face. I suppose that's the tree saying goodbye, so I pat it and roll onto my back. Aragorn grabs my hand and pulls me up, just as Gandalf whistles. It is a single clear note, never wavering, and as soon as it finishes, a horse neighs somewhere. And no, it isn't Arod, Hasufel or even Scieno. Instead, it is a beautiful white horse galloping towards us from across the plains.

"That is one of the Mearas, unless my eyes are cheated by some spell," Legolas breathes in awe.

Gandalf nods. "Shadowfax. He is the lord of all horses and has been my friend through many dangers." Shadowfax walks up to Gandalf and nuzzles him. The wizard strokes his neck lovingly.

I walk up to Scieno, who greets Shadowfax like an old friend. Mounting my beautiful skewbald mare, I grab Riley's hand and pull her up behind me. When Legolas finally gets Gimli back on Arod and mounts, and when Aragorn persuades Hasufel to leave Shadowfax alone, we set off, galloping through the plains towards Edoras, wherever that is.

After about twenty minutes of fast galloping, Gandalf calls out to stop and rest. I gratefully leap down and lie flat on the grass while Aragorn gets dinner ready. Ever since Sam and Frodo left, he's been the most able chef. Most able in my terms means least likely to poison us. No offence to any of the others, but Aragorn's a Ranger.

Riley flops down next to me. I start humming the tune to _You can't stop the beat_ from Hairspray, and Riley joins in after the first verse. Once it's finished, I sit up. Aragorn has a fire going, with dry wood so that it doesn't send off as much smoke.

"I've wanted to do this for a while now, but never got the chance," I say, spotting a dry scraggly tree about five hundred yards off and pulling a branch from it. Running back to the camp, I take my dagger and saw off all the knots and swigs from it, leaving a 'Y' shape in the branch. It's nice and sturdy. Using the sharpest bit of the knife, I cut and smooth the bark of it, cutting notches in the very end of the arms of the 'Y'. Once that is done, I take the strong material left over from my leggings and cut a small pouch for the elastic. Finally, I pester Aragorn for some stretchy string that he uses to sew stuff up and braid three medium length strands, sliding the pouch on, I tie the string onto the branch and hold it up near the fire. Using some more material, I cut a long strip and turn it into a softer handle, for better grip I would use leather, but that seems to be in short supply.

And then I hold it up near the fire. My masterpiece is finished. It looks a little ragged, but I need to test it to be sure of the use of it. Grabbing a sharp piece of flint, I rub the dirt off it and place it in the pouch. I draw the pouch back to its fullest and aim, before releasing. The stone hits my target, a crow in the scraggly tree, easily. I blink. "That was impressive craftsmanship," Aragorn comments.

"I was bored. I didn't think it would actually work," I shrug, attaching the slingshot to my quiver. We eat dinner, and once we're done it's my turn to keep watch for a couple hours. I love keeping watch – it's so quiet, and I like fire, so I grab a long twig and make a torch, which I stalk around with and wave above everyone's heads. It's hilarious, but I nearly dropped it on Gimli. I hope he doesn't notice that his clothes smell a tad smoky.

When my two hours are up, I hand watch over to Aragorn and throw my torch on the fire, before snuggling down to sleep on the dry grass.

"Wake up, Grace. We must reach Edoras today," Legolas shakes me awake. My only response to him is "Nyurrrrr..." and a roll over. He sighs.

"In that case, I will have to get Aragorn to wake you. I heard that he has a full water skin full of cold water for that specific use."

"Noo! I'm up! I'm up! Don't get Aragorn, I'm up!" I leap up and fall over, crashing into Gimli and knocking the poor Dwarf over. Legolas is hiding a smirk. I scowl at the smug Elf. "You see? This is what happens when you threaten me with Aragorn. I run into Dwarves."

Breakfast is a small piece of Lembas that Riley had the good foresight to bring, and some apples that Aragorn found. Then, it's back on the horses for some more riding.

We actually reach Edoras! I have NEVER been so glad to get somewhere before now. Riley has been whinging nonstop since we left. "Grace, your slingshot's poking me in the eye!" or "Grace, my butt hurts!" or even "Grace, I'm hungry!"

To which I reply "WHAT DO YOU EXPECT ME TO DO ABOUT IT?!" and she shuts up for five minutes. Then she starts again.

As we reach the gates of Edoras and enter, Gimli spots some of the townspeople and says dryly "You'd find more cheery in a graveyard." I nod fervently. These people could do with a disco. And Doritos. Everybody loves Doritos. I could do with Doritos right now.

We dismount, some more graceful than others, and walk up the steps, where some guards stop us. I hear Gandalf mention the name Háma, and assume that the Irish guard is Háma. "I cannot allow you before Théoden King so armed, Gandalf Greyhame, by order of Gríma Wormtongue," Háma says, a slight bitter tone on his voice at the end.

Gandalf signals to us, and we start handing over our multiple weapons. I pull Naurlind out of the sheathe and hand it over, glowering daggers at the guards. After, I give them my daggers, throwing knives, bow, quiver and slingshot. They seem surprised at the weapons, but accept them anyway. Riley also surprises them with her many weapons.

"Your staff," Háma prompts Gandalf, who seems surprised.

"Oh, no. You would not part an old man from his walking stick?" he asks, playing the 'I'm really frail' act. The guard seems to buy it as he grimaces and nods. Legolas offers Gandalf his arm to help the act, but as we pass the guards I see him wink at Aragorn. "Hey Aragorn, I forgot to take the dagger out of my boots. Do you think they'll notice?" I ask him, almost silently.

"As long as you don't tell them," he answers back, lips barely moving.

At the end of the hall, a slimy man with greasy black hair sits next to a throne. Atop the throne is an EXTREMELY old man, who I am assuming is Théoden, with paper-white skin and hair, and clouded over eyes. His wrinkly hands can't do much more than simple gestures.

"My lord, Gandalf the Grey is coming," the slime ball whispers. I assume that's Gríma. This sentence takes me aback, because I thought it was Gandalf the White, but a quick glance at the wizard tells me that he is wearing a grey cloak to fool everyone.  
"He's a herald of woe..." Gríma continues. I scowl at him. I don't think he's heard of a shower before.

"The courtesy of your hall has somewhat lessened of late, Théoden King.

"He's not welcome," Gríma mutters.

I can't help it. "But do you know what is? A pressure washer and a hell of a lot of shampoo," I say, louder than I thought. I slap my hands over my mouth as Riley cracks up, being the only one to understand most of it. Gandalf can tell the general meaning and uses his staff to smack the back of my head.

"And why... should I welcome you, Gandalf Stormcrow?" Théoden asks haltingly.

"A just question, my liege. Late is the hour in which this conjurer chooses to appear. Lathspell, I name him. Ill news is an ill guest," Gríma stands up and speaks to us all.

"And late is the hour in which this grease-ball chooses to take a shower," I whisper to Riley, who cracks up again.

" Be silent. Keep your forked tongue behind your teeth. I have not passed through fire and death to bandy crooked words with a witless worm," Gandalf says firmly.

"Ohh, BURN!" I shout, again not being able to help it. By now, Riley is wetting herself on the floor in tears of laughter. Gríma glares at me, before realising that Gandalf has his staff out. _That's what she said..._ I think, as Gríma panics "His staff... I _told_ you to take the wizard's _staff_!"

As the slime-ball backs away, a load of soldiers come rushing forwards. We fight them off. Well, more specifically, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli fight them off. Riley and I are underestimated because we're female. But I'm quite happy to let them do that, as it means we can watch Gandalf be awesome.

"Théoden, son of Thengel. Too long have you sat in the shadows," Gandalf begins.

Meanwhile, Gimli knocks Gríma over and puts a foot on his chest, growling "I would stay still if I were you."

"Hearken to me, I release you from this spell." As Gandalf raises his hands to remove the spell, Théoden starts laughing in a really creepy way. I move back slightly, using Riley as my human shield while peeking over her shoulder.

"You have no power here, Gandalf the Grey," Théoden taunts. With a fabulous fling, Gandalf chucks the grey cloak off, revealing his true whiteness underneath.

"GANDALF! TURN THE BLOODY LIGHTS OFF!" I roar.

Théoden screams. "I will draw you Saruman as poison is drawn from a wound," Gandalf mutters, approaching the throne. Théoden slams back against the throne. I wince – that's gotta hurt.

Suddenly, a blonde haired woman runs forwards. Aragorn grabs her shoulder and stops her "Wait."

"If I go, Théoden dies!" Théoden says. That's confusing. I guess that it's Saruman speaking through Théoden. Still confusing. Stupid wizards. Gandalf throws the King back against the throne with his staff. That sounded dodgy...

"You did not kill me, you will not kill him!" Gandalf shouts.

"Rohan is mine!" Saru-Den yells.

"Be gone!" Gandalf hits Théoden with his staff as the King lunges at him. Théoden moans and slides down the throne. Aragorn lets the blonde woman go, and she runs over and catches the King. I edge closer as the King lifts his head up a little bit, before jumping back in shock. His hair gets shorter, blonder. His beard becomes well trimmed. His face floods with colour. His eyes become brighter blue.

"I know your face... Éowyn... Éowyn. Gandalf?" the younger Théoden looks up at the smiling wizard.

"Breathe the free air again, my friend," Gandalf says.

"Dark have been my dreams of late," Théoden mutters, staring at his hands.

"Your fingers would remember their old strength better if they grasped your sword," Gandalf says.

"That's what she said," I mumble in Riley's ear. She sniggers and has to turn it into a coughing fit in order to hide it.

Háma comes up and offers Théoden his sword. The King of Rohan takes it as Gríma attempts to slide away. Gimli stops him as Théoden looks down at the sword, then at Gríma, who is cowering on the floor.

The guards pick the grease-ball up and throw him out of the doors. He rolls down the stairs. I wince, hearing several cracks. Théoden follows, looking murderous.

"I've only ever served you, my lord," Gríma tries to reason with Théoden.

"Your leechcraft would have had me crawling on all fours like a beast!" Théoden roars.

"Send me not from your sight!" Gríma begs, crawling backwards. The King raises his sword to strike the man, but Aragorn leaps in front. "No my lord! No my lord. Let him go. Enough blood has been spilt on his account."

Everyone's favourite Ranger holds his hand out to help Gríma up, but the slime spits on him. Riley growls and leaps towards him, but I grab her arm "Leave it. He's not worth it."

"Get out of my way!" Gríma bellows, shooting off. Aragorn watches him grab a horse and ride out of Edoras, before turning to Théoden "Hail Théoden King!"

Everyone bows to Théoden, even Riley and me, who don't like to bow to anyone. He seems a little surprised, but accepts it. However, a thought passes across his face.

"Where is Théodred? Where is my son?"


End file.
